Huntlee development has now reached a turning point in 2026. This guide tracks 7 live projects across the new town, from a Woolworths centre to a 5,000-lot second stage. Builders broke ground on the town’s first public high school, primary school and preschool on 12 June 2026. Then the regional planning panel approved the $53.4 million Woolworths centre in May. And the state is still assessing the big one: LWP’s plan for about 5,000 more lots south of Branxton. Here is every project, its address and its status, with the infrastructure that’s funded and the parts still waiting on a decision.
This article was produced and reviewed by the Australia Develops editorial team. See our Editorial Policy for sourcing standards and methodology.
Where is Huntlee?
Huntlee is a master-planned new town in the Hunter Valley at postcode 2335, spread across North Rothbury and Branxton in Cessnock City and Singleton Shire, about 50 km west-north-west of Newcastle and about 130 km north of the Sydney CBD in a straight line. It also sits beside the M15 Hunter Expressway’s Branxton interchange, and Branxton station on the Hunter Line is about 5 minutes away.
Huntlee Development — The Pipeline
First, some context. Initially, everything ran under the Stage 1 concept approval (MP10_0137) from 24 April 2013. It covers about 2,700 homes as well as the town centre and Katherine’s Landing. LWP Property Group, trading as Huntlee Pty Ltd, is still the master developer and sole landowner. Construction began in 2014, and the developer says Huntlee will eventually house up to 20,000 people. So here’s what is moving right now.
The 7 Huntlee development projects at a glance
| # | Project / address | Developer | Scale | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Huntlee New Town Stage 2, south of Branxton to Old North Road | LWP (Huntlee Pty Ltd) | About 5,000 lots; 1,700 in Village 2 first | Under assessment (SSD-70748466) |
| 2 | Woolworths centre, 11 Empire Street | Fabcot (Woolworths) | 3,444 m² supermarket, liquor, 9 shops, kiosk; $53.4m | Approved 28 May 2026 |
| 3 | Public school precinct, 32 Persoonia Boulevard | NSW Department of Education | 1,000 high school, 500 primary, preschool | Under construction; opens Term 1 2028 |
| 4 | Town centre lots and future community hub, 1 Triton Boulevard | LWP | Mixed use lots, community hub site, Stage 12 civil works | Mod 25 approved 9 Jun 2026; civil works DA lodged |
| 5 | Huntlee Arcare aged care, Triton Boulevard | Arcare (Knowles Group) | 96 beds, 1 to 2 storeys | Approved 26 Sep 2025 |
| 6 | Green Ridge Hunter Valley, 97 Kesterton Rise | Sencia (Knowles Group) | 206 villas; $55.1m | Approved 2022; staged build continuing |
| 7 | Stage 1 lot changes, Katherine’s Landing and town centre | LWP | About 2,273 lots under the Stage 1 subdivision | Modification lodged; Mod 19 withdrawn |
Read down that list and the pattern is clear: most of what is actually under construction at Huntlee is the school and the shops, while the project that would more than double the town is still sitting with the assessors. The headline figures are worth pulling out on their own.
Where the Projects Sit
Those numbers land better once you can see the layout. Huntlee sits between Branxton and North Rothbury either side of Wine Country Drive, and every project below is within a few minutes of that spine, so the overview map is the easiest way to orient yourself first.
Currently, most of the Huntlee development action is in a tight cluster. The town centre runs along Wine Country Drive, just south of the Hunter Expressway’s Branxton interchange. For example, Coles, ALDI and the Huntlee Tavern already trade here. The Woolworths site at 11 Empire Street faces them across the street, so the two centres will sit close together. Next, the school precinct sits on Persoonia Boulevard and Reading Road, a short walk west. Katherine’s Landing, the first village, spreads east along Triton Boulevard. Green Ridge sits off Kesterton Rise. Stage 2, however, is the outlier. It wraps south of Branxton and runs down to Old North Road, mostly inside Singleton Shire.
PROJECT 1 — About 5,000 lots in Huntlee New Town Stage 2, south of Branxton
Status: Under assessment (NSW Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure; exhibited 23 July to 19 August 2024)
Location: land south of Branxton running to Old North Road, Branxton NSW 2335, plus the remaining town centre land. The applicant is Huntlee Pty Ltd (LWP Property Group). It’s a state significant development, number SSD-70748466, so the department handles it and lists the area under Singleton Shire.
In fact, this is the Huntlee development project that would more than double the town. It has 2 parts. The first is a concept master plan for the rest of the town centre, Villages 2, 3 and 4, and a large lot residential area along Old North Road. In short, the concept covers about 5,000 residential lots. The second part is a detailed subdivision for Village 2, with about 1,700 lots, roads, services and open space, according to the exhibition notice.
Why the Stage 2 decision is still pending
The timeline has been long. Initially, the state declared Stage 2 state significant in May 2022, which moved assessment to Macquarie Street. Then LWP lodged the plans in May 2024 and told the Newcastle Herald it hoped for approval within 12 months. But that didn’t happen. By July 2025, the paper reported Stage 2 was still waiting on approvals. The Major Projects page was checked in October 2026, and it still shows “Assessment”. The file now holds 31 response to submissions documents, 29 pieces of agency advice and 50 additional information files, but no determination.
Jobs, spending and water servicing for Stage 2
The EIS put a $421.9 million construction boost on Stage 2, as well as more than 2,350 direct and indirect jobs. It also expects about $246.5 million a year in extra retail spending once people move in. On servicing, the EIS says Hunter Water would upgrade the regional drinking water network with new reservoirs as well as extended trunk mains. Altogether Group, by contrast, would own 2 new local water centres.
What’s on site now is mostly grazing land and bush. If you’re eyeing the large lot area on Old North Road, read the guide to buying rural property in 2026 first, because lenders treat bigger blocks differently. Still, the department hasn’t published a decision date. So the next step is the department’s assessment report and a recommendation on the concept plan and Village 2.
PROJECT 2 — A $53.4m Woolworths centre at 11 Empire Street
Status: Approved (Hunter and Central Coast Regional Planning Panel, 28 May 2026)
Location: 11 Empire Street, North Rothbury NSW 2335, together with 1823 Wine Country Drive. The applicant is Fabcot Pty Ltd, Woolworths Group’s development arm, while Huntlee Pty Ltd owns the land. Cessnock Council’s reference is DA 8/2025/424/1, and the panel reference is PPSHCC-373.
For many locals, in fact, this is the biggest Huntlee development news of the year. Right now the town has Coles and ALDI, so a second full-line supermarket changes how people shop. The approved plan has a 3,444 m² Woolworths with direct-to-boot pick-up, as well as a liquor outlet, a kiosk and 9 commercial premises. It also includes 404 car spaces, 6 of them with EV chargers.
How the Woolworths approval moved so fast
The timeline moved quickly for a regional panel job. Initially, council notified neighbours from 18 August to 1 September 2025 and received no written submissions. After that, the main sticking points were the design of the Empire Street roundabout and extra information for Subsidence Advisory NSW. Subsidence Advisory NSW then issued its terms of approval on 3 March 2026. The panel later met on 19 May and signed off unanimously on 28 May, per the panel record.
The conditions also tell you what to expect. For instance, the supermarket can trade from 6am to 11pm, while the liquor store can trade from 10am to 11pm. Deliveries run from 6am to midnight, with all loading on site. Also, Grocers Lane, Town Lane and Bakehouse Road must be built and handed over before anyone can occupy the centre. Woolworths hasn’t published a construction start or opening date yet.
PROJECT 3 — 1,500 school places at 32 Persoonia Boulevard
Status: Under construction (approved 23 February 2026; opening Day 1, Term 1 2028)
Location: 32 Persoonia Boulevard, North Rothbury NSW 2335, at the corner of Reading Road. The NSW Department of Education is the proponent. So it went through the Part 5 process, reference P5-2025-152, instead of a council DA.
For the Huntlee development, this is the piece families waited longest for. Cessnock MP Clayton Barr says he’s been “sounding the alarm about a lack of schools” since 2012. Currently, the nearest public options are Branxton Public School and high schools in Maitland, Singleton or Cessnock. Eventually, the precinct will hold a high school for about 1,000 students with 54 classrooms, including a construction workshop and a hospitality kitchen. Next door goes a primary school for 500 with 27 classrooms. In addition, the public preschool takes up to 120 children a week, or 60 a day.
Where the school build stands now
The timeline is now firm. First, the Review of Environmental Factors went on exhibition from 27 October to 24 November 2025. Then the department approved it on 23 February 2026 and named Richard Crookes Constructions as builder in March. Ministers turned the first sod on 12 June 2026. Bulk earthworks and site clearing are under way now.
According to the School Infrastructure NSW project page, the schools are forecast to open on Day 1, Term 1 2028. Enrolments should open about a year before that, and the department will also announce catchments at least 12 months ahead. The department’s June release says the aim is to take pressure off Branxton Public School. Consultation on the school names closed on 3 July 2026, so watch for the names next.
PROJECT 4 — Town centre lots and a future community hub at 1 Triton Boulevard
Status: Modification approved (DPHI, 9 June 2026); Stage 12 civil works DA lodged with Cessnock Council
Location: 1 Triton Boulevard, North Rothbury NSW 2335 and the town centre lots around it. The developer is LWP. The approvals sit under the Stage 1 concept, MP10_0137, while council’s civil works reference is 4/2026/3/1.
This part of the Huntlee development is quieter, but it matters for daily life. Then, on 9 June 2026, the department approved Modification 25. It expands the Stage 1 boundary to fit a future community hub. It also realigns 5 commercial and mixed use lots and creates a new one. However, the record doesn’t say what the hub will contain or who will build it. So treat it as a reserved site for now, not a funded building.
Earlier Stage 1 changes that shaped the town centre
Several earlier changes paved the way. First, Mod 20, approved on 31 October 2022, re-cut Town Centre Stages 1 to 5 and Substages 13 to 16 for more than 300 extra lots. In fact, that’s where the smaller town centre lots came from. Later, Mod 23 refined bushfire asset protection zones on 11 February 2025. Then Mod 24, approved on 18 April 2025, changed the TC6 layout and the developer contribution terms. Now Cessnock Council has a civil works DA for Town Centre Stage 12, which covers roads, drainage and services before titles can register.
The bushfire changes are also a reminder to check your own lot. Before you sign, look it up on the tools in the guide to flood and bushfire maps. Huntlee also sits in a mine subsidence district, which is why Subsidence Advisory NSW signs off on buildings here.
PROJECT 5 — A 96-bed Arcare aged care home on Triton Boulevard
Status: Approved (DPHI Director, 26 September 2025)
Location: Triton Boulevard, North Rothbury NSW 2335 (Lot 4150 DP1275574). The operator is Arcare, part of the Knowles Group, while the applicant was J & G Knowles and Associates. The application number is SSD-49283708.
The approved home is 1 to 2 storeys with a maximum height of 8.12 m. It has 96 private rooms as well as a café, 47 parking spaces and signage. Initially, the State Design Review Panel looked at it in February 2023. Then it went on exhibition from 24 January to 21 February 2025, and the department’s Director approved it on 26 September 2025.
However, no published construction start or opening date was found. Reports on the cost also disagree, with figures of both $30 million and $60 million. So the dollar figure is left out. The site is about 12,434 m² of vacant land within the new town.
PROJECT 6 — 206 retirement villas at Green Ridge, 97 Kesterton Rise
Status: Approved (Hunter and Central Coast Regional Planning Panel, May 2022); staged construction continuing
Location: 97 Kesterton Rise, North Rothbury NSW 2335. The developer is Sencia, the retirement arm of the Knowles Group. Council’s reference is DA 8/2021/21158, and the panel reference is PPSHCC-77.
The panel approved 206 self-contained homes in phases, as well as recreation facilities, roads, stormwater and landscaping. The capital investment value was $55.1 million. The panel file shows the decision on 16 May 2022, and then a revised decision record dated 20 May.
Green Ridge is currently a working village. The first residents moved in during 2023, and the $6 million Green Ridge Pavilion is finished. Industry press says the first 3 stages are nearly sold out. Sencia is now marketing villas due in 2027, so later stages are still coming.
PROJECT 7 — About 2,273 lots under the Stage 1 subdivision, plus a withdrawn mod
Status: Modification lodged with Cessnock Council (DA 4/2015/268/63); state Mod 19 withdrawn
Location: the Stage 1 land across Katherine’s Landing and the town centre, with the council tracker listing it at 1823 Wine Country Drive, North Rothbury NSW 2335. The developer is LWP.
The original Stage 1 subdivision DA dates from 2015, so this is now its 63rd change. The current description covers about 2,273 residential lots, 123 large lots, 94 infrastructure, community and mixed use lots, and 2 school lots. It also includes the roads, drainage and open space around them. Council’s tracker doesn’t show a determination yet. Katherine’s Landing Stage 6A is the next release, with titles due in January 2027, according to LWP’s construction updates.
What happened to the withdrawn Mod 19
Then there’s the withdrawn application, Mod 19. It asked to subdivide Substages 14 and 15 into 169 new lots and add 33 lots on 2 superlots in Substage 16. In other words, that would have meant 202 extra lots. The planning record shows it as withdrawn and gives no reason. However, LWP then rolled the same substages into Mod 20, which the department approved in October 2022 with more than 300 extra lots. So the likely story is a redesign, not a rejection. No refused DA in Huntlee was found in a search of the panel and state records.
If you’re buying house and land here, the builder matters as much as the lot, especially on a staged estate. So run any builder through the licence and disciplinary check guide before you sign the build contract.
The Infrastructure Behind the Growth
The Huntlee development still leans on roads and water more than on rail. Here’s what is built, funded and still a plan.
- Hunter Expressway (M15). It opened in 2014, so the Branxton interchange sits right at the town’s doorstep. As a result, LWP puts Newcastle just under 45 minutes away by car.
- Singleton Bypass. Both governments share the cost of this $700 million, 8 km bypass, so $560 million comes from federal funds and $140 million from the state. Transport for NSW currently expects it to open in late 2026, weather permitting. It’s further up the New England Highway, but it’ll help anyone commuting to the mines or Singleton.
- Branxton Town Centre Upgrade. Cessnock Council finished this $1.4 million main street job on 30 April 2026. It added footpaths and a raised crossing, as well as drainage and trees. In addition, Regional NSW put in $929,000.
- Buses. Route 179 (CDC Hunter Valley) is now the main public bus. Because it was overcrowded, Transport for NSW added the S854 afternoon school bus from 2 June 2025. It then reworked school routes again in December 2025.
- Branxton station. It’s on the Hunter Line, about 5 minutes from the town centre. But no one has funded an upgrade.
Schools, water and sewer for the Huntlee development
- Schools. The state is building the Huntlee school precinct now, and it opens in Term 1 2028 (Project 3).
- Drinking water. Hunter Water finished the new 7 ML Harpers Hill reservoir and a 2.5 km pipeline in February 2026. It now serves Lochinvar, Greta, Branxton and North Rothbury.
- Sewer and recycled water. Instead, Altogether Group runs Huntlee’s local wastewater and recycled water scheme under a private licence. Its local water centre is on Wine Country Drive. Recycled water goes to toilets, gardens and laundries, which is why your water bill won’t come from Hunter Water.
What’s Next to Watch in Huntlee Development
The next 18 months are full of Huntlee development milestones. Here’s what to watch.
- The next step for Stage 2 is the department’s assessment report. In particular, watch for a recommendation on the concept plan and the 1,700-lot Village 2 subdivision. No date is set yet.
- Also watch for Woolworths to lodge a construction certificate and name a start date. However, the new laneways have to go in before it opens.
- The school names should come out soon, now that consultation closed on 3 July 2026.
- Next, enrolment and catchment details are due about 12 months before the Term 1 2028 opening.
- Then Katherine’s Landing Stage 6A should register titles in January 2027.
- Later, watch for a DA or council plan that shows what goes into the new community hub site.
- Finally, the Singleton Bypass is on track to open in late 2026.
Buying a first home in 2027? Then check the concessions in the stamp duty by state guide. But if you’re buying an investment lot instead, the land tax by state guide covers NSW thresholds.
Huntlee Development Status and Delivery Timing
| Project | Homes | Stage | Decision maker | Expected timing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stage 2 concept and Village 2 | About 5,000 (1,700 in Village 2) | Assessment | DPHI (state significant) | No decision date; build over about 20 years |
| Woolworths centre | 0 | Approved | Hunter and Central Coast Regional Planning Panel | Start not announced |
| School precinct | 0 (1,500 students) | Under construction | Department of Education (Part 5) | Opens Term 1 2028 |
| Town centre and community hub (Mod 25, Stage 12) | Mixed use lots | Mod approved; civil works DA lodged | DPHI; Cessnock Council | Not stated |
| Arcare aged care | 96 beds | Approved | DPHI Director | Not stated |
| Green Ridge villas | 206 | Approved; staged build | Regional planning panel | Later villas from 2027 |
| Stage 1 subdivision changes | About 2,273 lots | Modification lodged | Cessnock Council | Stage 6A titles Jan 2027 |
Editorial Take on Huntlee Development
Huntlee has finally got the 2 things locals asked for. The schools are now a funded building site with a builder and an opening date. And a second supermarket is approved. So Stage 1 feels much more like a town than an estate. LWP also deserves credit for a planning record with lots of tweaks but no refusals.
Stage 2, however, is where any Huntlee development forecast needs care. It’s been under assessment for more than 2 years, and the developer’s 12-month hope came and went. It is still expected to be approved in some form, because the state fast-tracked it and the Hunter needs housing. But the lot numbers and timing could shift. It’s a similar story to Wilton New Town in Sydney’s south-west, where homes came well before the big services. Huntlee is also car-dependent for now. So buy for the lifestyle and the schools, not for a train line nobody has funded.
Questions Locals Are Asking About Huntlee Development
When will Woolworths open at Huntlee?
There’s no date yet. The panel approved it on 28 May 2026, but Fabcot hasn’t announced a start. Also, the new laneways must be finished before it can open.
Which school will my kids go to in 2028?
Catchments aren’t out yet. However, the department says it’ll publish them at least 12 months before Day 1, Term 1 2028. Until then, Branxton Public School stays the local primary.
Is Stage 2 approved?
No. SSD-70748466 still shows “Assessment” on the Major Projects page. LWP has answered submissions and lodged extra information, but there’s no determination.
How many people live in Huntlee now?
Currently about 8,800, according to the Newcastle Herald. That’s forecast to reach 14,100 by 2041, while LWP’s long-term target is up to 20,000 people.
This article is general information based on NSW Planning Portal records, Hunter and Central Coast Regional Planning Panel documents, School Infrastructure NSW and Department of Education releases, Transport for NSW, Hunter Water, Cessnock City Council and LWP publications available at publication. It isn’t financial advice. Approvals and timelines can change, so check current details with the consent authority and the developer before you buy.
