A 60-year-old caravan park on the NSW Central Coast could well be paving the way for the future of Australia’s more than 2000 holiday parks. About 100km north of Sydney, Kanwal, just west of the Tuggerah Lake, is one of a number of suburbs that make up the Central Coast region. Wyong is just to the south and Norah Head is to the east. At the 7.1ha park, which currently has 145 homes, Vivacity Property is planning the 675-apartments Wyong Village. The redevelopment is one of five projects selected by the NSW Department of Planning to be fast-tracked under the Rezoning Pathways program during the pandemic. Arkadia Property Group sold the caravan park in 2021 to Vivacity, who continue to operate it pending approval.  The developer, who until now has focused on retirement villages and land lease communities, has finalised the exhibition of plans for the freehold site at 207-209 Wallarah Road. The apartments at Wyong Village would include 102 designated for affordable housing and 200 for seniors’ independent living units and 1.7ha of parkland and road upgrades. Although this is a one-off development, it could well point to the future of caravan parks nationally. ▲ Vivacity says the village will add 1000sq m of commercial space to the town under the plans by PTW Architects. There has been a 21 per cent increase in the number of caravans registered since 2019, according to the Australian Trade and Investment Commission research for 2023. For the same period, $14.3 billion was spent on camping and caravanning, which accounted for one in five domestic overnight trips. Australia has about 2500 van parks. Meanwhile, land lease communities are proving a hot ticket for investors with the sector repositioning as a luxury living powerhouse worth $12 billion.  Vivacity managing director Jonathon Steggles Mendez is familiar with both sectors. “When we bought it [the Wyong park] we didn’t really envision a rezoning; initially it was part of the business that we have with caravan parks,” Steggles Mendez says. “We started by tidying it up and were expecting to expand the site and we saw an opportunity given its location. “This will be very different from our other developments; we specialise in land lease lifestyle resorts for over 50s.” ▲ The Oasis Caratel at Kanway, sold in 2021 by Arkadia Property Group. But there had been signs that converting this Central Coast caravan park could be an option. “Our original vision was to expand the site and now with the rezoning I suppose the timeline hasn’t changed, it’s the type of development,” Steggles Mendez says. “The site had previously been designated as a strategic site by council, already zoned for medium-density housing. “Given the situation with council ... it had gone through administration ... that plan was pushed out ... we would have essentially received the DA already.” ▲ A render of the original 800-apartment plan for the site next to the Wyong Rugby League Club and opposite Kanwal Village Shops. The development also represents an opportunity for gentrifying Kanwal. “It is obviously one of the largest remaining consolidated sites in the area so it presents a unique opportunity to help address the housing crisis on the Central Coast,” Steggles Mendez says. “We have scaled back the development to what we had originally submitted, both in height and the number of apartments—from 800 down to 675 apartments. “When you start a major development like this it has a knock-on effect to the wider region around it. “There might even be an overspill of development from this site like an upgrade that may very well come about to the local shopping centre [across the road].” While not all caravan parks will be suitable for developments at this scale, there is opportunitues for parks near growing cities. “A lot of caravan parks are by waterways,” Steggles Mendez says. “They will be constrained and limited by environmental issues and flooding issues.  “Those that aren’t I am sure could provide an opportunity for uplift.  “We are always assessing opportunities so we see Newcastle, the Hunter and Sydney-Wollongong as a growing region that requires diversity of housing.” ▲ A decision by NSW Planning is expected this year for Wyong Village. The NSW Government has designated the rezoning program as part of its 15-year plan to deliver 170,000 new homes in well-located areas close to transport, services and jobs. In 2022 five projects were identified for this specific post-pandemic pathway—the Kanwal caravan park conversion and projects at Schofields, Warrawong, Wagga Wagga and Glenmore Park.  Once approved, construction of Wyong Village is expected to take up to five years, starting in early 2027. You are currently experiencing The Urban Developer Plus (TUD+), our premium membership for property professionals. Click here to learn more.
