Council urged to consider alternative vision for Civic Lane redevelopment

BY JARROD MELMETH

An artist impression detailing a proposed alternative layout of the recently announced Civic Lane redevelopment has been presented in an open letter to Newcastle councillors by the Newcastle Hunter Urban Planning and Transport Alliance.

The letter addressed to all 12 councillors, the Lord Mayor and Council CEO calls on council to consider its alternative vision for Civic Lane to the one presented by the Hunter Development Corporation.

Last week HDC lodged a development application with council proposing retaining the former Civic Station building, green spaces, paving and better connectivity while only extending its width from 6m to 7m.

However, former Newcastle Councillor and Co-convener of the Alliance Therese Doyle said the lane would need to be widened to 16m to allow for footpaths on each side, parking, a one way westbound traffic lane and a two way cycle lane.

"Those businesses on Hunter Street between Civic Station and Worth Place have suffered pretty catastrophic drops in business since the construction of the light rail began along Hunter Street.

"It appears business is not going to get that much better once the light rail is operational because there will be very severe restrictions on parking and therefore restrict access of their patrons to their businesses.

Ms Doyle believes widening the lane will open up a new north-facing point of access for businesses.

"They should be able to turn their buildings around so that they face north as well as south as they have done traditionally onto Hunter Street," Ms Doyle said.

Hunter Development Corporation plan artist impression.

Newcastle Hunter Urban Planning and Transport Alliance proposal
artist impression.

Fresh Push To Save Mambo Wetlands

BY IAN CROUCH

It's hoped a vital Koala habitat and important ecosystem at Port Stephens can be saved from development.

A six hectare parcel of so-called "surplus land" which includes a part of the wetlands was sold by the Department of Education last year to developer, Paul Unicomb.

He lodged a development application with Port Stephens Council in September for a duplex on the site.

The sale has angered residents who held a mass rally at the site last month, attended by about 200 locals who called for Parliamentary Secretary for the Hunter, Scot MacDonald to be sacked for his failure to intervene to stop the sale. He later admitted it was a mistake.

The Greens are calling for a compulsory acquisition of the land by the state government, while state Labor has promised to buy back the land if it wins government, which could potentially give a massive financial windfall to the developer.

Duty MLC for Port Stephens, Catherine Cusack says both sides of politics and state bureaucrats have dropped the ball in allowing the sale to proceed in the first place, with petitions taken up which were never tabled in parliament and information about the high conservation value of the site never communicated to the Department of Environment.

She's also refuted claims that the land is for sale and the government has knocked it back.

Catherine Cusack says high-level talks are under way at a bureaucratic level to find a way to restore the land to public ownership, but this could take some time to achieve.

"I know this is frustrating for people but I'm certainly prepared to be patient and (I'm) absolutely focused on doing everything I can to protect these (wetlands) and ultimately restore it to a consolidated public reserve, protected in perpetuity," she said.

Overhead View Showing Portion Of Mambo Wetlands Sold To A Private Developer Picture trra.com.au

Residents Attend At Protest Rally In October Picture: Port Stephens Examiner