Arabic version: هيئة إسكان الدفاع تعدّل المخطط الرئيسي للمساكن في لي بوينت

According to ABC News, Defence Housing Australia has revised its master plan for an 800-house precinct at Lee Point in Darwin’s northern suburbs after community concerns over biodiversity, sacred sites and the scale of development. The Australian Defence Force housing provider launched the latest plan on Friday.

DHA managing director Andrew Jaggers said the site boundaries were unchanged, but development would be reduced and conservation space increased. Several bush blocks between Alderham Road and the Lee Point dam would no longer be built, and 22 hectares would be set aside for conservation. The revised proposal also includes two AFL-size football ovals, with DHA saying up to 50 per cent of the 132-hectare site would be reserved for community or environmental use.

DHA said it had secured 500 hectares of land near Litchfield National Park for Gouldian finch habitation and conservation efforts. The endangered finch inhabits the Lee Point area. Jaggers said DHA would continue speaking with the community and stakeholders, with consultations on the master plan planned for next year before the construction program is settled.

Opponents said the changes did not go far enough. Larrakia woman Lorraine Williams described the master plan as “quite shocking” and said the cultural significance of the land was not being properly considered. Deputy Opposition Leader Ed Smelt welcomed the removal of bush blocks and consultation plans, but said Labor still supported a moratorium. He said the project’s 200 defence homes and 600 private properties would make only a small impact on Darwin’s housing and homelessness pressures. The master plan still requires development permit approvals, while DHA says it is already constructing five houses expected to be completed closer to the end of the financial year.