Community members ‘heartbroken’ by Valla Beach land sale

VALLA Beach community members say they are heartbroken by the sale of a heavily-wooded block of land on Langsford Way they hoped to save from residential development.

The 3.22-hectare block was sold at auction in Sydney on 22 April for $1.9 million.

Considering the land has been assessed by the NSW Government as suitable for 60 dwellings, locals believe the price point is well below market value.

Months of community action and protests preceded the sale.

Valla Beach community member Georgette Allen told News Of The Area, “Sadly, despite all the written communications to state government ministers, television and print media coverage, community gatherings and protests, ecological studies, and even an emergency Council meeting and plea by the Nambucca Valley Council Mayor to the Department of Education to halt the auction – everything was ignored.

“We have learned that this precious, valuable land sold for a measly $1.9 million.

“This is only a drop in the bucket for state government revenue, but to the community it is a heartbreaking loss of old growth trees, and harmonious views from Nourish Cafe, Valla Tavern, Anderson Park playgrounds and homes on Max Graham Drive.

“Loss of this land will mean loss of shade, increased local traffic, increased noise pollution from highway traffic and unsustainable pressure on the infrastructure of Valla Beach.”

Valla Beach resident Judith Kirwood said the block’s canopy of large trees would be a huge loss for the community if they were to be removed for development.

“We now face the possibility of the land being carved into multiple lots,” she said.

“Goodbye trees and goodbye to the wildlife that call it home.”

Ms Kirwood also expressed concerns over run-off issues from future development.

“The wetland that cuts across the corner of this land drains to Oyster Creek.

“That section of the land will face threats to water quality and inevitable degradation from run-off, from the processes involved in any future land development.”

Georgette and Judith say they will continue to monitor the yellow-tailed Black Cockatoo roost on site, and “plan the next move for what happens when a Development Application is submitted to Council”.

The block, formerly owned by the Department of Education, was identified as surplus to requirements during a 2024 government property audit.

Throughout the process, NSW Government officials have maintained that they will pull “every lever available” to address the housing crisis.

“The NSW Government expects the site to be able to deliver up to 60 homes, with the land zoned R1 General Residential under the Nambucca Local Environmental Plan 2010,” a spokesperson for the Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure told NOTA last month.

“Any development activity is a matter for the new owner with appropriate oversight from the NSW planning system and Nambucca Valley Council’s Environment Plan.”