Innovatively designed and transformative Lake Macquarie tourist park gets the green light

Written by

Charbel Abousleiman

Urban Planning Lawyer & Buyers Agent

09/10/2023

Johnson Property Group has received the nod from the State’s planning department for a significant innovatively designed, transformative, mixed-use tourist, hospital and residential development in Morisset Park.

Located at 69C, 81 and 85 Trinity Point Drive, the private developer has received concept approval for:

6 x building envelopes for a mixed-use tourist, hospitality and residential development incorporating sculptural rolling roofs and facades covered in greenery,
maximum gross floor area of more than 42,000 square metres, and
218 hotel rooms, 6 serviced suites, 180 residential apartments, a 300-seat function centre, 2 x 300 seat restaurants, 300 square metre wellness centre, 215 square metre business centre and 535 square metre retail centre.

A key element of the tourist park is its innovative, distinctive and organic building forms with curved shaped rolling roofs touching the ground (inspired by Watagan Mountains), a strong feature when on Lake Macquarie. The taller built form provides for larger landscaped open space surrounding the site, including for public access.

Large enough to create a destination which is both land and water based, Trinity Point is one of the only few lake-based tourism sites in Lake Macquarie LGA. Strategically, the site has been identified in Council’s Destination Management Plan, as well as in Council’s Strategic Planning Statement, for a significant tourism asset.

Photomontage of curved shaped rolling roofs touching the ground, inspired by Watagan Mountains.

Under single ownership (making it easier to create a significant tourism outcome), a planning proposal was prepared and lodged concurrently to amend clause 7.16 of the Lake Macquarie LEP to provide for increased heights. Taller buildings will allow for larger landscaped and communal open space areas.

In 2009, Johnson Property Group received approval for a marina, tourist and residential accommodation on the site. This approval was modified a number of times and since this, economically, there have been significant changes – most notably, a global pandemic.

This resulted in idyllic regional destinations with close proximity to large cities going from being largely tourism or weekender propositions to now being roundly adopted by the market as viable sea-change, work-from-home destinations. This shift makes places like Trinity Point even more important, as it can provide for housing and tourism, which collectively can create active and sustainable communities.

The global pandemic was a catalyst for rethinking the intended outcomes of the site. Compared to the previous DA on the site, Johnson Property Group will now develop the site in a more transformative way with a density and form of development that delivers a unique transformational tourism outcome supported by housing and offering a greater level of sustainable. Of particular note is a 30% increase in short-stay accommodation when compared against the previous scheme. This scale responds well to the strategic planning objectives for the locality.

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