The developer behind the massive Kings Forest housing project near Kingscliff is seeking permission to expand the area where bulk earthworks can take place and remove an existing restriction on the amount of ground that can be exposed at one time.
Modification 19 to the Kings Forest Stage 1 approval is currently on public exhibition through the NSW Planning Portal, with submissions closing on Friday, September 25.
According to the Department of Planning, the application seeks to increase the defined area available for earthworks, remove the existing limitation on exposed areas and replace it with performance criteria based on monitoring data.
The proposed changes relate to the large-scale earthworks needed to prepare sections of the site for development.
Existing approval conditions include measures intended to minimise erosion, dust and sediment impacts during construction, with earthworks currently subject to staged controls and environmental management requirements.
The latest application proposes shifting some of that control away from fixed limits and towards a monitoring-based system.
Kings Forest is one of the Tweed Shire’s largest residential developments, with approval for around 4,500 homes on an 869-hectare site about two kilometres from Casuarina Beach.
The development has been in planning for more than three decades, with the first residential lots registered as sold last year.
The site was purchased by developer Stockland in 2025 and is ultimately planned to include a town centre, schools, sporting facilities, parks and other community infrastructure.
More than 300 hectares of the estate have been identified for conservation, and environmental management has been a significant issue throughout the project’s long approval history.
Modification 19 is the latest in a lengthy series of changes sought to the Stage 1 approval.
The NSW Department of Planning will consider submissions before assessing the proposed changes and making a recommendation on whether the modification should be approved.
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