Graffiti clean-up sparks business backlash over paint jobs

BY DAKOTA TAIT

Newcastle businesses have hit back at a graffiti clean-up effort over the weekend, saying the work was done without permission.

A team of more than 100 volunteers, including Knights players, took to CBD streets on Saturday and Sunday in a working bee to clean-up graffiti.

Former Lord Mayor Jeff McCloy initiated the campaign, claiming the City of Newcastle hadn't responded to his concerns about an alleged uptick in vandalism in the city centre.

But Hunter Street's Ka-fey Cafe took to social media to complain about the cover-up, describing the black paint job as "pretty terrible".

The owners of Antijojos, a Mexican street food restaurant on Steel Street, also complained to the Council about the paint job on their formerly graffiti-adorned roller doors. 

The McCloy Group said it would contribute to the costs of a future mural after earning backlash from Playstate Curate, a Union Street art gallery, when a wall intended for the art project was also painted over.

City of Newcastle CEO Jeremy Bath has slammed the clean-up campaign, saying without permission, the anti-graffiti efforts were unacceptable.

Image credit: McCloy Group

Graffiti clean-up campaign starts spat with City of Newcastle

BY DAKOTA TAIT

A graffiti clean-up campaign over the weekend has been welcomed by much of the community, but the move has stirred up controversy with the City of Newcastle.

Former Lord Mayor Jeff McCloy is behind the plan, with more than 100 volunteers, including Knights players and members of local surf life saving clubs, painting over graffiti in the CBD on Saturday and Sunday.

Mr McCloy says there's been plenty of support.

"It looks a hell of a lot better," Mr McCloy said. "It's so widespread, we missed a fair bit of course, but at least the key points look presentable and as if we care."

"I'm a great advocate of public art, but it's different from someone scratching their name on glass or painting out their initials on something, which defaces the city - huge difference."

Mr McCloy says he launched the working bee in response to the City of Newcastle ignoring his concerns about vandalism.

Newcastle CEO Jeremy Bath has hit out at the calls, however, saying the City shouldn't use ratepayer funds to maintain private property. 

The Council spends $1 million a year on anti-graffiti measures, around $200,000 more than was spent at the end of Mr McCloy's term as Lord Mayor in 2014.

But Mr McCloy says he'd just like to see better results from the money.

"I think it needs a bit of a liven-up, because it's everywhere," Mr McCloy said.

"You look around the rest of the world - I was driving through Surfers Paradise the other day, and there's virtually no graffiti, they clean it all the time."

"I see Sally Capp, the Mayor of Melbourne saying she calls them vandals and criminals."

"Wherever there's social decay, in cities around the world and riots and such, what goes with it is graffiti - it's pretty simple stuff."

The City of Newcastle said in a statement on Sunday afternoon, they could have worked alongside the event if Mr McCloy had given them notice.

Image credit: McCloy Group

Push For Civic Lane Expansion

BY LAUREN FREEMANTLE

Hunter street business owners struggling through light rail construction are calling for a lane running behind 24 buildings on the strip to be widened.

They hope the expansion of Civic Lane will allow for parking and greater accessibility in the wake of the University of Newcastle's Honeysuckle redevelopment.

It comes as Newcastle City Council assesses a Hunter Development Corporation proposal to subdivide part of the former rail corridor neighbouring Wright Lane to make way for the new city campus and affordable housing.

HDC want to see Civic Lane widened by one metre, however, the Newcastle Hunter Urban Planning and Transport Alliance are pushing for a much larger, 10-metre expansion.

Businessman Steve Dick has moved his real estate firm from Hunter Street to Cooks Hill and says businesses in the CBD are currently operating at a major disadvantage.

"They've taken away all the parking on Hunter Street in front of these businesses," he explained.

"You've got a three-metre carriageway for cars against a curb and gutter where the vehicles are travelling 40 km/h, and then and tram line so there's no stopping...

"Where are you going to get your goods and services in? Whether you're an office who needs reams of paper or you're a bottle shop that needs liquor supplies," he questioned.

Mr Dick said he is a supporter of the University's redevelopment but is worried about the way it's being mapped out.

"People just don't understand the level of suffering that's going on and the number of people who are going broke down Hunter Street," he said.

"[Newcastle City Council] come out and say 'we want to give some rate assistance'...yeah but having the tenant there is one thing, but if the tenant's not paying rent, the landlord can't pay the mortgage," he concluded.

 

Affordable Housing To Be Built In CBD

BY OLIVIA PORTELL

The State Government has partnered with Evolve Housing to announce an affordable housing development to be built on Newcastle's former rail corridor.

30 rental units will be built, allowing low-income earners to experience inner-city living.

The project is expected to house a maximum of 80 people and will cater to families of different sizes.

There will also be three specialist disability accommodation dwellings.

Parliamentary Secretary for The Hunter Scot Macdonald says the development will allow people from all walks of life to experience inner-city living.

"It's important to have a diversity of workers, a diversity of housing- we must have affordable housing in the middle of the CBD," he says.

"We need more people living and working there across the spectrum if you like, and this goes some way towards that."

Macdonald says that it is part of the plan to rejuvenate the CBD.

"We committed when we closed the old corridor and announced the light-rail," he says.

"Roughly two-thirds of the old corridor is for community and social activation, and that's what we're getting with this affordable housing announcement."

It is hoped that construction will commence by the end of the year.

Property Council calls out "petty politics"

BY LAUREN FREEMANTLE

Concerns over Newcastle City Council's Labor-Greens alliance have been expressed by the Property Council of Australia's Hunter branch.

The concerns come following a decision made at last night's Council meeting to delay community consultation on the former rail corridor until a report detailing traffic and public transport data is made available for viewing.

According to the Property Council, it is the second time in two weeks that the same voting bloc has held up progress for the Newcastle CBD- referring to Council's refusal two weeks ago to pitch-in funding for a 30-unit affordable housing project aimed at 'key workers.'

Hunter Director of the Property Council, Andrew Fletcher, says the Labor-Greens alliance are delaying progress in order to side-step community consultation and avoid contention in the lead-up to this year's local government election.

"With local government elections coming up in September this year, it smacks of delaying tactics.
It would appear that there are a number of councillors who just don't want to have any contention before the elections, they'd like to see some clear political air.

"It's nothing more than scoring cheap political points at a time when their civic duty is to maintain momentum in transforming the city centre."

The Property Council have also taken aim at Lord Mayor, Nuatali Nelmes' decision to remove support for UrbanGrowth NSW's affordable housing proposal after voting for it in October last year.

"It's difficult to understand the Lord Mayor's position...It's just impossible to understand why, when the state government is willing to throw close to $20 million into public domain improvements along the foreshore and in the CBD, why Council would snub their nose at that kind of investment just beggars belief."

Artist's impression of affordable housing along the former rail corridor. Image source: Newcastle Herald. 

Hunter Director of the Property Council of Australia, Andrew Fletcher.