A plan to re-zone the former Orange abattoir site and farming land to create a 450-lot housing development has been lodged with Orange City Council.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The Rosedale Gardens Estate would ultimately have one and two-acre housing lots with open space.
It is located off Clergate Road next to the Orange-Dubbo railway line about 3.5 kilometres from the north Orange shopping centre.
The planning proposal prepared by Geolyse said the 290-hectare site was "poorly placed" to continue to be used for industrial purposes.
"Use of the site for lifestyle blocks represents the highest and best use of the site," it said.
Aboriginal artefacts have been found on the site but the report said it was "not a barrier to the proposal proceeding."
The report also said stormwater harvesting would be used to provide water for the 450 properties.
It said the site had "a large number" of farm dams and water courses.
"Harvesting of stormwater for re-direction to the Orange City Council stormwater harvesting scheme is being investigated as a likely outcome of the project," it said.
"Based on initial analysis it is expected the development has the potential to be neutral from a water security perspective, on the basis that harvesting of additional off-site flows from impervious surfaces would be approximately equivalent to the water demanded for the proposed 450 lots.
"This would be the first development in Orange to attain this status."
The report said there was a shortage of rural residential housing blocks in Orange and the region.
The application seeks to re-zone the land from industrial and primary production to a mix of large lot residential, environmental living, public recreation and electrical transmission line.
It is on public exhibition until Friday November 1.
DO YOU WANT MORE ORANGE NEWS?
Receive our free newsletters delivered to your inbox, as well as breaking news alerts. Sign up below ...