The vast majority of the Morisset community will be "buzzing" about the planned golf course redevelopment, Southlake Business Chamber and Community Alliance president Jo Hanlon says.
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Ms Hanlon spoke to the media on Friday alongside representatives of Winarch Captial. The Newcastle Herald had unveiled the company's plans to transform the site into a major tourism and event space that morning.
The proposal involves splitting the site into five precincts and creating a venue capable of hosting up to 50,000 people, a cafe and restaurant area, water splash park, tourism accommodation and over-55s housing.
Ms Hanlon said while there might be some community members ruing the loss of the 50-year-old Morisset Country Club, early remarks she was aware of were overwhelmingly positive.
She said Cedar Mill would provide confidence to those investing in the region and spur further development.
"The confidence that this type of investment can offer anybody whose invested locally, whether it's in a business or a resident," she said.
"I'm delighted from the employment point of view and economic injection."
President of Morisset Country Club until it ceased trading in May, Erica Ford, said the plans had been received "favourably".
"There'd been so much talk about it all being housing, and there's already so much new housing in the area ... so I think it is a favourable outcome," she said.
Ms Ford said after the club's closure golfers had continued playing at Toronto and Wyong, but social members were left without a community hub in Morisset.
"We just haven't got facilities in the town to cater for all the different needs, from trivia to line dancing," she said. "The auditorium could sit 360. So that's been a big impact in the community."
Ms Ford said with the local hall out of use, "council really needs to look at a facility in the town to hold functions".
She also said traffic congestion would have to be addressed as part of the assessment of the Cedar Mill plans.
Veteran Lake Macquarie developer Keith Johnson, who is behind the nearby Trinity Point project, said the redevelopment would be "fantastic for the area".
"It complements what we're doing at Trinity Point and it just shows the confidence people have in the area," he said.
Johnson Property Group expects to start construction on luxury short-term accommodation later this year and Mr Johnson said it would come in handy during Cedar Mill's planned major events.
"We'll complement their accommodation, and also the artists will need to fly into Trinity," he said.
"If you want to create events like that, you're not going to have artists stuck in traffic on the freeway, they'll need the helipad."
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