Arcadia Estate: Tamworth Regional Council's huge new housing development fast-tracked to tackle supply issues

Up to 2350 homes will be built on Tamworth's southern side near Warwick and Bylong roads as part of the new Arcadia Estate, which will boast a small supermarket, cafes and shops, similar to nearby Calala.

The long awaited development has been fast-tracked in a bid to solve the region's housing shortage, Tamworth Regional Council's development assessment team leader, Mitch Gillogly said.

"The next step is the finalisation of the planning proposal, which went on public exhibition in March, which we're expecting to occur by the end of the year," he said.

"It's 2350 houses going out there, so it will definitely contribute to easing the shortage of housing in Tamworth.

"It's an area that has strong strategic merit, and has been identified in our local strategic planning statement and the North West Regional Plan as a growth area for future residential."

Council applied for funding through the state government's Regional Housing Fund for the estate, securing $1.4 million to take the financial pressure off connecting infrastructure.

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Mr Gillogly said the money will go towards designing the estate's infrastructure, which council will begin building by early 2023.

He said the estate will boast housing diversity, with a controlled minimum density of 10 dwellings per hectare, and the ability to develop on bigger lots if the market demands it.

"A variety of lot sizes and housing types will be developed throughout the area to cater for the growing needs of the community," he said.

With the city's tight housing market, council's planners have been working hard to fast-track new housing developments like Arcadia in the midst of a development boom.

"We've definitely seen a sustained increase over the last couple of years for houses, and now the commercial industrial DAs are starting to pick up again with all the land coming online out near the airport," Mr Gillogly said.

"So there's economic activity happening now, which will hopefully bring more people to town, and we've got houses to put them in."

The land is zoned residential with the first development applications expected to be lodged soon.

Planning milestones have to be met by December 2022 to qualify for the second phase of state government funding, with an expected completion date before the end of 2023.

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