COVID Update for Beresfield

Since we first posted this article the area of Beresfield and Taro  and all other area of Maitland and Greater Newcastle/Hunter area have become hot spots for buyers from Sydney wanting to escape the city but not wanting to give up the luxuries of the city. Beresfield and surrounding such as Woodbury are great alternatives to Sydney and come with a great purchase price for the area. They are close to all facilities such as shopping centres, CBDs, medical centres, beaches, entertainment. The area is ripe for development with many smart investors getting in while the market is still growing. Many of our clients that we speak to are buying in the area both for investment and for their new family house that is safely away from Sydney and away from Lockdown requirements. One of the best things for Beresfield is that investors are able to take advantage of small minimal lot size requirements for the area compared to Maitland LGA. Streets within Beresfield that are ripe for subdivision are Greville Street, Delprat Avenue and Beresford Drive are hot spots for development! Greville Street, in particular, has yet to really be developed with the average block sizes of around 600-700sqm. These blocks are ready for subdivisions, dual occupancies or just restoring existing post WWII bungalows. 

History and Context

Beresfield and Tarro are often described as twin towns. The district remained rural until the 1920’s when it was divided and offered for residential sale in a division named Beresford. It was renamed Beresfield when the local train station changed the name to avoid confusion with a similar suburb.

The development of the area was slow until after WWII when Newcastle workers began looking for cheap land. The area became part of the City of Newcastle in 1938.

Today, the area continues to offer affordable housing. The area is well located for employment in the near Industrial Park, south of the highway and is a good commuting suburb for Newcastle, Maitland and the Hunter Valley.

Beresfield has an 11 hole golf course as well as swimming, tennis and oval facilities located in Lindsay Memorial Park. Also accessible is the Tarro Recreation Area. Located in Beresfield is the Newcastle Memorial Park (Crematorium) and a chicken processing area operated by Steggles.

The Beresfield and Tarro areas are home to a number of schools including Our Lady of Lourdes Primary, Beresfield Primary and Tarro Primary. The suburbs also have easy access to Francis Greenway High School, located in neighbouring Woodberry.

The existing Beresfield Retail Centre contains a mix of retail stores including a small Woolworths. There is future redevelopment potential of this centre as the demand for an adequate local supermarket increases as more land is released in the area and as first home buyers move into the existing houses.

Development potential

To the North of Anderson Drive this is the original subdivision of the area and the lots have been subdivided primarily with an east – west orientation which allows good sunlight to outdoor recreation areas. The development in the area mainly consists of single storey weatherboard cottage style dwellings with the house situated at the front of the site and driveways running up the side of the dwelling to a garage or carport at the rear of the site. This orientation of the existing dwellings and the inclusion of a side driveway provides a good potential for subdivision of the sites at the rear with a right of carriageway over the existing driveway.

To the south of Anderson Drive the subdivision is newer than the area to the north and the subdivision pattern follows the geographical features of the land. The area contains newer houses primarily from the 70s-90s. The lots in this area are generally smaller than the area to the north but there are still development oportunities.

The minimum lot size within Beresfield is primarily 450sqm and the maximum height of development is 8.5m. The majority of residential part of the suburb is not located within a flood zone or a bushfire area under Council Mapping. The zone for the area is predominantly R2 Low Density Residential. Surrounding the commercial/retail centre of Beresfield is an area of R3 (Medium Density) Zoned land along Kendal Street, Ruskin Street and parts of Irving Street, Beresford Avenue and Landor Street. This is to allow for medium density developments such as town houses and small residential flat developments. The height limit within this area is 10m and 11m within the Beresfield CBD.

Subdivision within Beresfield

There are two main ways of subdividing in Beresfield. The first is the straight forward way of subdividing where each lot after subdivision complies with the minimum lot size (450sqm). Therefore you would need a lot of around 900-950sqm. Just keep in mind that right of carriageways are not considered part of the lot size so you would need to potentially account for the access handle.

The second way of subdividing is through a clause in the Local Environmental Plan (a plan that specifies rules on development) called clause 4.1A. This clause allows subdivision of lots to a minimum of 200sqm where it is in association with a dual occupancy with each dwelling having a lot size of at least 200sqm. The clause specifies that this is only achievable if the lot is vacant or the existing dwelling is demolished as each lot resulting from the subdivision does not have an existing dwelling on it. 

Things to consider

As with all subdivisions Council will hit you with fees called S94 Development Contribution fees. These fees are to pay for long term planned infrastructure such as recreational facility upgrades and other infrastructure projects that occur as the population increases. The reason why you are required to pay for it under a subdivision is because you are intensifying the development on that site which results in more people to the area.

Dual Occupancy Development

Dual Occupancy development is permissible in both R2 and R3 zones within Beresfield. Under the complying development legislation you should look for lots with a frontage over 15m and a lot size over 400sqm for an attached or detached dual occupancy.

Want some more advice about Beresfield

If you are interested in development for investment in Beresfield and want some more information then just fill out the form below or give us a call on 0432 848 467

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