Concept plans will be unveiled today in the hope of breathing new life into Newcastle's historic post office building.
The iconic sandstone building in Hunter Street has lain dormant since Australia Post sold it in 2001 to Sydney businessman Sean Ngu for just $2 million.
Plans to convert the grand old building into a lounge bar, restaurant and function centre never eventuated and it's now rapidly deteriorating and infested with pigeons.
In 2010, the site was bought by the NSW Government for $4.25 million but nothing was done towards restoring and reusing the building, prompting a land claim from the Awabakal Local Aboriginal Land Council which was successful in 2014.
Now, the Council is calling for expressions of interest from a prospective joint venture partner to redevelop the site, with two striking and potentially controversial plans released today. One is for a 90 room Indigenous art hotel, the other for an Indigenous medical institute.
Conservative estimates put the cost of restoring and building the new development at $30 million, however it's hoped the completed project would generate a long-term income to pay for it.
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| Images of the proposed Medical Research Institute |
