Last night, Port Stephens Council unanimously endorsed the revised development footprint for 155 Salamander Way advancing crucial plans to unlock future housing, local services and more business opportunities while protecting the Mambo Wetlands in Salamander Bay Town Centre.
Council’s revised development footprint is outside of the Mambo Wetlands including the buffer zone. It equates to a 40 per cent reduction in the footprint for development and the environmental land being protected has increased by 66 per cent.
Port Stephens Mayor Leah Anderson said this is a major win and step forward for our community.
“Responsible development of this land is critical to how we can unlock much-needed diverse and affordable housing options for key workers close to jobs, shops and public transport.
“It’s also how we provide support for more local services and businesses our community rely on while protecting our environment,” Mayor Anderson said.
Councillor Nathan Errington said extensive community engagement has helped reach this point with feedback gathered from more than 1,200 community members including residents, conservation groups and businesses.
“We’ve listened to the diverse needs of our community and consistently heard they want more housing, including options closer to the heart of towns. They also want us to be able to use development opportunities to re-invest in community infrastructure like critical roads and drain upgrades,” said Councillor Nathan Errington.
Councillor Roz Armstrong referred to a meeting with the Mambo-Wanda Wetlands Conservation Group on 9 July 2026, after which Council responded by evolving earlier plans and reduced the proposed development footprint size from 2.25ha to 1.36ha.
“No aspect of the proposed development is on the wetlands or the current buffer zone,” Councillor Armstrong said.
“Council also previously resolved to contribute a proportion of the future developments’ sale proceeds to enhance the Mambo-Wanda Wetlands. This includes updating the Mambo-Wanda Conservation Wetlands Plan of Management, which is vital for long-term environmental and cultural heritage protection of the wetlands,” Councillor Armstrong said.
Councillor Watson said the revised proposal will be designed to maximise commercial floor space and attract different types of housing, including shop-top housing and more affordable housing options.
“Crucially, by using the allowed maximum building heights of 15 metres, the revised future development proposal will maintain the same number of housing options near shops, jobs and transport, despite having a smaller development footprint,” Councillor Watson said.
Proceeds from the future development would also allow Council to invest in local infrastructure improvements affecting our community and visitors’ daily experiences, such as roads, intersection upgrades and new pathways.
Mayor Anderson said Council is committed to delivering crucial needs for our community, including more diverse and affordable housing, better roads, drains and pathways alongside protection of our precious environment.
“Carefully balancing these top three Council priorities will ensure our community continues to enjoy a great lifestyle in a treasured environment now and for generations to come,” Mayor Anderson said.
The next steps will see Council complete further assessments ahead of lodging an application to subdivide the development site.
