Fair Go for North Arm Cove: A Vision for Sustainable Regional Renewal
- Dejan & Tatjana
- Jul 9, 2025
- 3 min read
Updated: Jul 11, 2025
North Arm Cove is more than a coastal subdivision. It’s a case study in how overlooked communities can become models for innovation, sustainability and resilience: if given a fair go.
The “Fair Go for North Arm Cove” initiative is led by the Marion and Walter Living Lab Co-op, a registered group of landowners, professionals and researchers. Their goal is to turn this historic but under-served community into a sustainable, future-ready precinct through smart planning, circular economy principles and inclusive governance.
📜 A Letter to Government
At the core of this initiative is a public letter sent to State Ministers by the Co-op’s director, Dejan Simovic. It outlines the community’s history of neglect, the structural injustices they’ve faced, and a constructive pathway forward.
“Our community doesn’t want to fight through courts, but we want our share of opportunity in regional NSW, for the benefit of future generations. We are planning for the future. But we need government’s assistance.”
After decades of paying rates, contributing nearly $2 million per year, local landowners have watched as their money has gone into other regions while their own land has been withheld from basic infrastructure and representation. Today, they’re asking not for favours, but for collaboration.
🧭 Why North Arm Cove?
North Arm Cove presents unique potential:
📍 Location: Coastal, 30 minutes from Newcastle Airport, near the M1 and Port Stephens
🏗️ Zoning: 4,000 subdivided lots already exist, including ~1,000 now owned by local government
🌱 Environmental living: Suitable for low-impact development with strong ecological values
⚡ Innovation potential: The site lends itself to new tech, water harvesting, digital twins and clean energy
It’s already included as a priority in the Hunter Regional Plan 2041, and new zoning under the Draft MidCoast LEP enables development through a precinct-wide Development Control Plan (DCP). That plan is what the Co-op is now ready to deliver, with help.
🛠️ What Has Already Been Done
The Marion and Walter Living Lab Co-op isn’t just proposing ideas. They’ve already:
Formed partnerships with universities, urban designers and Aboriginal representatives
Aligned the project with both State and Federal planning policies
Presented at international conferences and received awards
Collaborated with the Walter Burley Griffin Society and local Indigenous leaders
Organised more than 1,000 public submissions during planning consultations
Secured participation from landowners across more than 2,500 lots
This is not a hypothetical group, it is a mobilised, experienced, and policy-aligned movement.
🚀 What Comes Next?
The first practical step is funding and preparing the DCP for the site. This will include:
Setting goals through a Citizen Assembly
Managing outcomes with a Digital Twin
Delivering infrastructure with industry partners
Seeking support from programs like:
• Regional Precincts and Partnerships Program (rPPP)
• Cooperative Research Centres (CRC)
The Co-op is asking the State to:
Support grant applications
Allow use of Crown land for infrastructure
Unlock local government-owned land for housing and services
Ensure rates paid by this community go toward its own development
Assist in building a true innovation precinct
📄 Read the full letter sent to Ministers:
🎉 A Fair Go Is All We Ask
This is a call to collaborate, not to criticise. The landowners of North Arm Cove are ready to build a community that is:
Environmentally conscious
Economically resilient
Socially inclusive
Technologically innovative
All they need is a fair go to make it happen.
Fair Go for North Arm Cove
For further information:
Dejan Simovic
Director, “Marion and Walter” Living Lab Co-op
📞 0404 55 24 74