Tuesday 6 February 2018

Cessnock City Council ready for growth

BY JARROD MELMETH

Cessnock City Council says they are ready and poised for growth in the region after it was reported on Monday that the housing affordability crisis in Sydney is forcing essential service workers to the Hunter.

The reports come from a Univerisity of Sydney study of key workers and housing affordability in Sydney which found that the closest local government area with an affordable median rental price for an entry level enrolled nurse is Cessnock.

Cessnock Mayor Bob Pynsent welcomed the news labelling the region as the perfect location for those considering making a change as the cost of living pressures in Sydney continue to mount and lock people out of the property market.

"The Cessnock area offers something unique and incomparable to our metropolitan counterparts. We are strategically located to Sydney and Newcastle, we offer affordable land and housing for growing business and residential demand.

"Importantly we have the prosperity to absorb population and economic growth. It is not just the lifestyle benefits we offer but the opportunity we have for business," Mayor Pynsent said.

Parliamentary Secretary for the Hunter Scot MacDonald said the reports spell opportunity for Cessnock.

"The region has an affordable lifestyle with an abundance of attractions - space, great education at a primary, secondary, vocational education and tertiary levels; good sports and culture infrastructure; enviable community; access to one of Australia's premier wine regions; an hour away from beached and NSW's second largest city that is enjoying a renewal and renaissance," Mr MacDonald said.

Cessnock Mayor Bob Pynsent.