Growth Area Facts
A Growth area arises from the NSW governments mandate to provide housing across the state.
This mandate requires identification of geographical areas across NSW which can be urbanised. The area identified is a collection of existing suburbs in which most of the properties have rural land uses and in order to urbanise, the government must release and rezone the area.
A Growth Area is a collection of suburbs within a specific geographical area that the NSW government plans to urbanise. The process is complex and takes years of research and planning by the Government to ensure that the land is released and rezoned in a manner that achieves it's greater strategic goals.
The planning process to rezone an area is led by the New South Wales Department of Planning & Environment. The Department conducts extensive assessment of an area and most often develops a staged rezoning plan.
When an area is flagged for rezoning such as the Southwest Growth Area in NSW, the rezoning plan is staged. This means that some areas and suburbs are rezoned ahead of others. Rezoning must occur in stages as there is critical infrastructure that needs to be provided alongside residential and commercial development that is occurring. This timing of this infrastructure plays a role in how quickly the Planning Department will deliver a rezoning.
As those suburbs within the area begin to be released and rezoned, the categorisation or type of properties that are sold or purchased within a particular suburb are a function of their rezoning and then development:
Initially the type of property that is located within a newly rezoned suburb is known as Englobo Acreage.
Once an englobo acreage property has been sold, most often to a developer, the property is subdivided. At this point, the rezoned suburb now includes land blocks or house and land packages which a developer or builder offers for purchase to the market.
Once a suburb continues along it's development trajectory, owners who purchased the original house and land packages and have lived in the area, may decide to sell their home and relocate from the area. These properties are known in Real Estate as Residential resales.
A further category of property within a growth area is known as Future Englobo Acreage. Acreage within this category has not yet been released for rezoning but will be released and rezoned in the future.
Englobo Acreage
Growth Area Englobo Acreage properties are those homes and land that have been rezoned and can be subdivided.
Englobo acreage with access to wastewater infrastructure is of particular interest to a developer.
Land Blocks & House & Land Packages
Land blocks and house and land packages within a rezoned growth area suburb result from the subdivision of raw acreage land parcels into land lots.
The purchaser of a subdivided land lot usually buys either just the land and then engages a builder or they may purchase an all inclusive house and land package.
Growth Area Residential Resales
Home owners who purchased the original newly developed house and land packages within a Growth Area may decide to sell their home and relocate prior to the area or suburb being fully developed.
When these properties come to market, they are sometimes referred to as residential resales.
Future Englobo Acreage
Future Englobo Acreage refers to properties that are located within a growth area that are not yet rezoned but will be rezoned in the future.
The future potential of this type of acreage is a key selling feature for this category of property.