Have your say on major plans for Morisset Country Club site

With the covers coming off an ambitious plan for the privately-owned Morisset Country Club site today, Member for Lake Macquarie Greg Piper has urged the local community to have their say and get involved in the assessment process.

“From what I’ve seen, I believe this $235m proposal will be embraced by the vast majority of people in the local and broader Hunter Region community,” Mr Piper said.

“Some will be disappointed that the golf course is changing but I think the opportunities on offer here are huge, especially for young people.

“I’m pleased that this proposal has come from a local resident in Paul Lambess who knows the area, knows its potential and knows what this community is about.

“I think it’s a great vision which could drive a lot of job creation and investment in the area if approved. It will have to go under the microscope of the council first and I encourage everyone to get involved and share their thoughts – positive and negative - on the plan while it’s on public exhibition.

“The water park and event grounds will be a major tourism attraction for the area. The scope of major events that are being talked about for the site will rival and surpass many of those we’ve seen in the Hunter Valley and in Sydney.

“I’ve spoken to the Lake Macquarie Economic Development company Dantia and they tell me it has the potential to create more than 1200 jobs during construction and more than 475 permanent jobs once operational. It will also provide an economic boost of about $170m a year when operational.

“Road and traffic issues will obviously be looked at during the assessment process, but the big advantage of this site is that it’s very close to the M1 and Morisset train station.

“I’d really like to see people get involved with this process and have their say on the plan when it goes on public exhibition.”