LOCALS continue to raise concerns over plans to develop a heavily-vegetated 3.22 hectare (ha) site on Langsford Way, Valla Beach for housing, with the land set to go to auction later this month.
The proposal first gained attention in October 2025, when the NSW Government identified the land – owned by the NSW Department of Education – as being surplus to operational requirements and suitable to “support approximately 160 dwellings”.
In December 2025, the Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure (DPHI) said Property and Development NSW – the state’s central property agency – was undertaking “further due diligence to understand environmental impacts and ecological constraints” before a decision was made about the site’s future.
By February, the number of dwellings proposed as suitable for the site had been reduced to 60.
On 12 March, real estate agency Belle Property listed the site for sale on behalf of the NSW Government.
It will now go to auction on 22 April 2026 in Sydney.
“The site offers strong potential for residential development, subject to council approval (STCA),” the listing reads. “Zoned R1 General Residential under Nambucca Valley Council planning controls, the land allows a minimum lot size of 450 sqm.
“A preliminary biodiversity assessment and site inspection have been completed, with supporting documents available to qualified buyers for planning and due diligence purposes.”
Valla Beach resident Teena Pitman said residents’ concerns have been “totally ignored” and other uses for the land, such as turning it into a wildlife reserve, have not been considered.
She believes the site is unsuitable for residential development based on its environmental values, the lack of social infrastructure or local employment opportunities, and the single road in and out of Valla Beach in case of an emergency – particularly a bushfire.
“Communities across NSW have already seen what happens when development is pushed into locations that lack the infrastructure and environmental capacity to support it,” Teena said.
“Residents support the need for more housing and genuine affordable housing solutions, but argue development must occur in locations that are properly planned and serviced.”
Residents say the public sale of the land will take control completely out of the community’s hands, with a likelihood for poorer environmental outcomes.
“The sale process will place the onus for due diligence and compliance with all environmental and planning restraints squarely upon the buyer of this land,” said Valla Beach resident and long-term environmental campaigner Georgette Allen.
“Whoever places the successful auction bid on the day, in late April, will then lodge a development application with Nambucca Valley Council, who will then put the plan on exhibition for the required time.
“However, many in the community believe that will be too little, too late.”
Locals acknowledge the need for more housing in the Nambucca Valley, but point to the planned Valla Urban Growth Area (VUGA) – where 700 new homes are already planned – as a more suitable location.
“DPHI states that they want to build homes to address the housing crisis and the appalling levels of homelessness in our country,” Georgette said.
“The Government says it wants housing built where infrastructure already exists.
“However, residents consider the proposal to contradict the Government’s own planning strategy… VUGA has already received millions of dollars in public investment to accommodate future housing growth including new infrastructure and a planned town centre accessible to Nambucca Heads.”
Conservationists are growing increasingly concerned about habitat loss at the site, which they say features hollow-bearing trees and is home to wildlife including koalas and other threatened species.
“Trees on this land include koala feed trees and habitats for reptiles like Blue-tongued Lizards, a roost for Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoos, occasional Crested Hawks and other visitors like Bowerbird, Kookaburra and Lorikeets,” said Valla Beach resident Dr John Bennett PHD.
“It is also a refuge for kangaroos that graze on the adjacent Anderson Park.”
Member for Oxley Michael Kemp has been critical of the proposal, slamming the NSW Government for a lack of transparency.
“This development is privatisation by stealth and won’t fix the housing crisis,” he said.
“I’m concerned that there has been little consultation with the community.
“I do support the identification of surplus land in the midst of a housing crisis, but the Government is focusing on the wrong site.
“VUGA is planned and approved to deliver 700 new homes. It’s a no brainer.”
Mr Kemp noted the Government’s reduction from a planned 160 dwellings down to 60 as an improvement.
“I understand this isn’t what the community wants, but it is a more considered approach than what was originally proposed,” he said.
A spokesperson for the Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure said the NSW Government is “pulling every lever available” to address the housing crisis.
“The site at Valla Beach was identified as surplus land,” they said.
“It is not currently used and there was no planned future use for the land.”
According to the spokesperson, a Preliminary Biodiversity Assessment has been completed and disclosed for interested parties.
“The specifics and scale of any development activity on the site are a matter for the future owner with appropriate oversight from the NSW planning system and the LEP (Local Environmental Plan),” they said.
“The community will have an opportunity to provide further feedback during the required public exhibition and planning approval process.”
The NSW Government has noted that community concerns about native wildlife and infrastructure requirements must be addressed as part of the standard planning process, including a requirement for further appropriate studies on the site.
These studies will be dependent on the size and scale of any future development.
Local residents raised awareness of the proposal at the Valla Beach markets on Easter Saturday, with a further community event to be held on Sunday 12 April from 3pm at Anderson Park, Valla Beach, adjoining the site.
By Doug CONNOR
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