Investing $1.6B for dynamic new community at Charmhaven

Developer Third.i Group has proposed a masterplanned community on 200ha of bushland at Charmhaven between the Pacific Hwy and Arizona Rd.

The $1.6B project would deliver up to 2,000 homes with 120ha of protected environmental green space, a new low-fee K-12 school for 1,500 students, public spaces, playing fields and a business park supporting more than 600 new jobs.

Third.i says the aim is to create a “dynamic new community with a focus on liveability, affordability and long-term growth”.

First step is a development application for 56 homes which is now on public exhibition and open for submissions until June 30.

Third.i Group promises no infrastructure costs for the NSW Government under measures introduced in the NSW Budget this week allowing developers to build their own public infrastructure under certain circumstances.

Group Acquisitions Head Florian Caillon said that if approved, rezoning (of the Charmhaven site) would allow them to provide critical, enabling infrastructure.

“This would include roads, water and electricity, which will benefit the wider region – all at no cost to the NSW Government,” he said.

The State Government Budget will also make permanent a 50% land tax discount for build-to-rent developments.

To be eligible, buildings must include at least 50 rental homes, remain under single ownership and management, and offer lease terms of at least three years.

More than 10% of the Charmhaven project will be committed to affordable housing, including rental and shared equity options aimed at supporting essential workers and first-home buyers.

Evolve Housing will handle the 200 affordable homes with workers able to rent them at below-market rates. 

Health Services Union NSW Assistant Secretary Lauren Hutchens said members were encouraged by developments that made affordable housing a priority.

“We keep our hospitals running day and night, but we’re being pushed further and further away from our workplaces by skyrocketing housing costs on the Central Coast,” she said.

The Charmhaven project would be the largest housing project on the Central Coast and could deliver almost a quarter of the NSW Government’s target of 9,400 new homes in the region by 2029. 

Central Coast’s population is expected to surge to 404,250 by 2041, putting increased pressure on housing supply.

Third.i Group is hopeful that the first new homes for the masterplan could be delivered within 36 months pending planning approvals.

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