‘Bigger Than Bradfield’ Innovation Precinct Proposed for Hunter

A proposed Hunter employment precinct would dwarf the planned Bradfield City Centre, with a 150ha development aiming to create 10,000 jobs and reshape the region’s economic landscape. The Dalmore Park subdivision proposal for a site 45 minutes north-west of Newcastle has been filed with the Maitland City Council. The site slated for the employment zone is bigger than the 114ha Bradfield City Centre masterplan, which is the biggest employment precinct under way in NSW. The Maitland plan filed by local developer EXP Capital proposes civil infrastructure works for the establishment of Dalmore Park Business Estate at 687 and 709 New England Highway, Rutherford. The proposal, which outlines a mixed-use vision for the 150ha site, comes after years of planning by EXP Capital. If approved, the estate would be home to commercial, health and research uses, as well as industrial and advanced manufacturing—800,000sq m of net lettable area are initially planned. Hotels, retail and leisure uses are also included in EXP Capital’s plans for the site, which would be delivered over the 20 years. From renos to megaprecincts EXP Capital is a Newcastle-based developer founded by “driving force” managing director Paul Siderovski and development director Gavan Reynolds 10 years ago, and has evolved from home renovations to building shopping centres and a pipeline of 950 residential blocks. The developer said that as locals, the Dalmore Park site—owned by the Marheine family, who were involved in the coal and rail industry before running a cattle operation on the site—had been on its radar for some time. Before he died in 2021, Brian Marheine had planned an intermodal rail port that would carry coal from the Hunter Valley, and successfully had the area rezoned as an economic and employment area. The region's population has now topped 100,000, providing the need for the Maitland to unlock the land with the family bringing an initial 67ha site to market. ▲ Dalmore Park would be aimed at a fostering a range of commercial uses, from advanced manufacturing to retail. That listing is when EXP Capital became involved with an inquiry to agents Colliers. “We explained to them exactly what our vision was for the site and that it was important for us to think about it as an entire precinct,” Reynolds told The Urban Developer. “The Marheine family had an incredible understanding of what we wanted to do and as a result, we ended up striking a deal to purchase the entire holding.” EXP Capital then began the planning process, securing feedback from Transport for New South Wales and a development control plan. Reynolds said the council and state had supported the scheme. “It’s not a story that I’d be able to tell you about every development we’ve ever done, but it is the story I’m able to tell you about this,” Reynolds said. “There’s nothing worse than trying to paddle against the tide. I will be forever grateful for how seriously they’ve taken the whole process.” Dalmore Park plans evolve EXP Capital presented the Dalmore Park masterplan prepared by Moir Studio to the Maitland City Council in 2025. The council saw the benefits early, given Dalmore Park’s proximity to the Anambah to Branxton Regionally Significant Growth Area (RSGA). The RSGA stretches from Maitland to Singleton along the New England Highway; a 15,000ha area expecting to have70,000 new homes and 180,000 more residents by 2066. “It’s not only important for people to have somewhere to live, but it’s also so important for them not to have to spend their lives commuting,” Reynolds said. “The average commute time from some of those locations to Dalmore Park will be less than 15 minutes. That’s something that we’re pretty excited about, and certainly the council is as well.” ▲ There will be a central green corridor, designed by Moir Studio, restoring Stony Creek to enhance biodiversity, EXP said. The developable area of the site—adjacent to Maitland Airport—is north of a million square metres. “The only thing that we haven’t considered as a staple or a certainty for the site is residential because it’s just one of the things that isn’t currently permitted within the zone,” Reynolds said. An initial estimate of 800,000sq m of net lettable area also doesn’t include the potential for multi-storey office towers or higher scale logistics, he said. “I’m mindful that any vision that we’ve got for the site over the next five years will probably look different again in five years,” Reynolds said. “But everything that we’ve done in the planning and the strategic vision for the development has been oversized. Even the intersections we’ve gone for have absolute maximum traffic capacity. “We want to be looking back on this in a decade or two from now and be really comfortable around the fact that we have engineered and future-proofed everything we can.” EXP Capital plans to start works by the end of 2027 pending approvals. Stage one, which includes upgrades to the New England Highway, is expected to complete towards the end of 2029.

Industrial
Clare Burnett
Thu 05 Nov 26

‘Bigger Than Bradfield’ Innovation Precinct Proposed for Hunter

Development Potential

VIEW LISTING

The Office Has a Guest List as Private Clubs Create Corporate Future

Hold, Don’t Fold: Developers Keep the Faith as Lenders Double Down

Office’s Comeback Stalls, But Smart Money Isn’t Blinking

Why the Willy Wonka of Hotels Keeps Buying the Hardest Assets

AI Powerhouse Rises From Telco Relic in Just Eight Months

TUD+ Briefing | Victoria’s New Infrastructure Contributions Regime

Free Webinar | Project Marketing Strategies in a Softening Sales Environment

A Developer’s Guide to Granny Flats

The Deal with Adam Di Marco: The State of Private Credit in Australia | Michael Hynes, Stamford Capital

Gold Coast’s $32m Deal Resets Queensland Luxury Price Ceiling

Way Cleared for Australia’s Tallest Timber Commercial Building