The Sanctuary - Jojeni Group

About Jojeni

Jojeni is a family company that has been investing in the Port Macquarie region for over ten years striving to design developments that meet the requirements of new residents with superior environmental outcomes.

Jojeni is proud of its environmental track record in having previously donated 65 acres of koala habitat to the National Parks and Wildlife Service which now forms part of the Dooragan National Park and is also committed to rehabilitating an additional 50 acres of environmental lands in the Camden Haven that will be ultimately transferred to Council for the community’s benefit.

Jojeni acquired the property for The Sanctuary with a vision of creating a unique development that could service the accommodation demands of the growing local community whilst working in harmony with the existing site to preserve and rehabilitate the neglected portion zoned for environmental conservation.

Site History

The site has had a long history attracting attention from the local community given its strategic location fronting Ocean Drive and being adjacent to both the Lake Cathie Woolworths Shopping Centre to the north and the Council reserve fronting Mullaway Road to the west.

The site’s zoning is split between R2 Residential and C2 Environmental Conservation. Detailed ecology reviews have been conducted onsite since 2015 by both the NSW Government and Jojeni confirming the importance of the C2 portion adjoining the Mullaway Road Reserve.

The property was originally owned by the NSW State Government and was earmarked for a new school which would have required extensive clearing of the site. In 2015, the Department of Education determined the site was surplus to its requirements and advertised the property for public sale.

Comments from the local community at the time were divided between preservation of the site and support for development of the portion facing Ocean Drive. There were calls from some residents to the State Government for the land to be handed over to Council for the community, but these were rejected by the Department of Education. Community representations were then made to Port Macquarie Council to acquire the land, but the requests were declined by Council.

After Jojeni acquired the site, it engaged with the Lake Cathie Progress Association (LCPA) in 2016 to discuss possible development options. This culminated in the LCPA endorsing a plan for Jojeni to donate the C2 portion to Council and construct a walking trail for residents from Fiona Crescent to Woolworths. Unfortunately, agreement was not able to be reached with Council on the terms of the land gift.

Jojeni then embarked on extensive ecological studies of the site and liaised closely with Council over several years to develop a master plan that effectively limits development to approximately 40% of the site with the remaining 60% to be rehabilitated and enhanced with extensive planting of koala food trees in the Mullaway Road reserve to improve the wildlife corridor through to the reserve surrounding Lake Cathie.

Clearing of the site has been completed in accordance with Council approval, including strict requirements of continuous supervision of works by a consulting ecologist and safeguarding of any koala. The agreed rehabilitation program will commence in 2023 including weed removal from the C2 Environmental Conservation zone, koala food tree planting, erection of fencing to protect the conservation zone and construction of koala bridges between the conservation and residential zones to ensure any koala has unrestricted access to all retained koala food trees across the entire site.

It is anticipated that all rehabilitation works will be completed before any further development of the site.

Future of the Site

Discussions are ongoing with Council on the most appropriate development of the site having regard for the requirements of current and future Lake Cathie residents and visitors. It is Jojeni’s goal to design a development that will enhance the Lake Cathie area and provide the necessary services and accommodation options most suitable for the needs of the local community and visitors whilst protecting in perpetuity the rehabilitated conservation zone.