PUBLIC concern is rising in Valla Beach following the NSW Government’s October announcement that a parcel of land near Langsford Way and Anderson Park, formerly owned by the Department of Education, has been identified as a potential site for more than 160 homes under the state’s Building Homes for NSW initiative.
The NSW Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure (DPHI) has clarified its role in the ongoing assessment of the land.
“The Valla Beach site was declared surplus to requirement by the land-owning agency and was announced as part of the NSW Government’s land audit on 7 October 2025,” a DPHI spokesperson told News Of The Area.
“Based on due diligence, the site was deemed suitable for housing and could support approximately 160 dwellings under current planning controls however Property and Development NSW are conducting further due diligence to understand environmental impacts and ecological constraints before any decision is made about the possible divestment of the Valla Beach site.”
DPHI also pointed out that any development would be subject to oversight from the NSW planning system and Nambucca Valley Council’s local environmental plan (LEP), including community consultation, an environmental impact study, and other statutory requirements.
Nambucca Valley Council has expressed strong disappointment at how the announcement was handled by the State Government.
“Nambucca Valley Council is disappointed there has been nil consultation and no communication from the State Government about land it has declared as surplus in Valla Beach,” Mayor Gary Lee told NOTA.
“The unrealistic number of dwellings they mooted for this land, 160 dwellings, without any justification, is farcical.”
Highlighting land in the Nambucca Valley LGA already identified for potential housing, Mr Lee added, “The answer to Nambucca Valley’s housing crisis is not in Valla Beach, it’s in Valla, and I want the Minns Labor Government to invest with Council in the infrastructure necessary to unlock the proposed residential precincts within the Valla Urban Growth Area (VUGA).”
While acknowledging the $8 million already committed to VUGA industrial works, the Mayor stressed that “more is needed if we are going to deliver real housing solutions for our valley”.
Many local residents have also voiced alarm, citing longstanding infrastructure issues and risks intensified by the proposed development.
Many point to the Giinagay Way intersection, already the site of more than 20 crashes, as evidence of inadequate State planning.
With only one road in and out of the village, residents fear additional traffic from a large housing estate will raise accident risks even after the planned 2026 roundabout upgrade.
The site’s bushfire-prone classification, potential clearing of koala feed trees, exposure to rail and highway freight noise, and loss of the community’s preferred future use of the land for a primary school were among the strongest objections.
Residents also argue the density, representing what some claim is a 680 percent population increase on just 3.3 percent of Valla Beach’s residential land, would be out of character for the coastal village.
Concerns for future residents include inadequate public transport, limited access to healthcare and essential services, and insufficient emergency evacuation options in a bushfire event.
By Mick BIRTLES
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