West Wallsend residents appear to have lost their fight against a controversial housing estate planned for the town.
The Joint Regional Planning Panel last night approved the 400-lot Hammersmith development.
Residents had argued the development would remove the last piece of prime bushland in West Wallsend and detract from the area's historical and Aboriginal significance.
Hammersmith says the residential estate will include 32 hectares set aside for new trees to grow on the site and the development would help tackle the housing supply shortage in the Lower Hunter.
