Respite for Pickers after sponsorship deal

BY JOSH SIM

The Maitland Pickers have been given a further boost to their financial future with the club negotiating a reduced fee for the lease of Maitland Sportground.

It comes off the back of yesterday's announcement of a lucrative 30-year sponsorship deal with Club Maitland City.

The Pickers will tenant Maitland Sportsground for the first half of the 2018 season under the fee structure before the redevelopment.

A proposal for the 2018/19 Financial Year between Maitland City Council and the Pickers will decide the fee structure moving forward.

Club president Frank Lawler believes the previous reluctance of the Council to reduce fees to use the ground is beginning to shift.

'I think the Council is now actually listening to the tough times that we've had recently,' Lawler said.

'We put it to the Counsellors in a meeting [and] they said to leave the fees [as they previously were],'

'They're now doing a review on the 2018/19 season and a proposal will go off to Council,'

Lawler is hopeful of the Council keeping the fee structure in check past this deadline.

'Without a doubt, it's a fantastic facility but [the Council] have got to remember that we're in Maitland,'

'People can only afford so much.'

The small respite means the Pickers can put a tumultuous off-season behind them as they look towards Round 1 in next month.

"I Fear Politics May Have Played a Part": Councilor Penfold

BY JESSICA ROUSE

The decision by Maitland City Council to vote against investigating two proposals is being questioned by Independent Councillor Philip Penfold.

Councillor Penfold put forward two motions, one being to look into re-fitting the front section of the Walka Water Works pumphouse building to make way for a cafe and toilets and the other idea to investigate a multi level car park in Maitland's CBD.

Deputy Mayor Sally Halliday as well as the other Independent councillors voted for the motions, but Mayor Loretta Baker and others voted no.

"I was disappointed to see that they weren't supported by the mayor and a slim majority of council. I think they're very important to the people of Maitland, they want to have the ability to sit and relax and to eat at the beautiful Walka Water Works. They want to opportunity park conveniently near The Levee that we've just spent $10 million on," said Councillor Penfold.

Proposed site for Maitland car park Image Councillor Philip Penfold Facebook.

He says he didn't agree with the reasons they gave against the motions.

"To be honest I fear politics may have played a part,"

"There was some suggestion that if a cafe is not going to make a motser then it shouldn't be built."

"People didn't like to, for some reason have multi story considered. There seemed to be a strong view that purely single story is what should be considered for Maitland's CBD. I find that odd, Maitland is growing at a very rapid rate. Maitland and the CBD is proving very popular," said Councillor Penfold.

Councillor Penfold says the motions have a lot of support from the local community which he has seen online and head from in-person.

A petition for more parking in the CBD received 529 signatures from the community who agreed there was a lack of parking for business owners, staff and customers.

"It's not rocket science to see that in the future multi story car parking will be requires, people want convenience and the site I spoke of was less than a block away from the Levee," said Councillor Penfold.

Historial Morpeth Better Off This Way

BY JESSICA ROUSE

Morpeth residents slammed a decision by Maitland City Council to not hold consultations for a state heritage listing register on properties, but council say it's for the better.

The NSW Office of Environment and Heritage wrote to the council to seek support for the listing on all properties for the historic town.

The office asked for council's "in-principal" support of the register on all properties stating it would allow council more time to consider the nomination and determine if any operational issues would arise.

Councillor Philip Penfold said voting against the listing was the best outcome because realistically not all of the homes in Morpeth are heritage, or in fact old, some are just one year old.

"This isn't a listing that would just affect the homeowners of Morpeth, this is a listing that would last forever, for generations ahead of time,"

"These properties in many cases are between 1 year old and 40 years old - these properties are the ones that shouldn't have this listing," said Councillor Penfold.

Morpeth is listed as a Heritage Conservation Area already with a few properties of historical significance on the State Heritage Register.

Council also say having all of the properties put on a register would impact what homeowners could do to them, making a simple alteration or a small renovation more difficult to achieve jumping through heritage hoops.

"What would concern me was that to go for a year or more to have an extensive consultation period will decimate the housing market in Morpeth - it will put a cloud of uncertainty over property transactions. I've already had people call me late last week concerned that they've got properties listed and they're unsure what might happen if the Labor party were to succeed in their mission to list state heritage register on every single Morpeth property," said Councillor Penfold.

"We need to be careful not to just listen to a noisy minority. We need to listen to the entirety of a community and this isn't just affecting the people who currently live in Morpeth, this affects Morpeth into generations."

EARLIER:

No Say For Morpeth Residents on Heritage

No Say For Morpeth Residents on Heritage

BY JESSICA ROUSE

A request for support of a consultation process with the Morpeth community to get a heritage nomination listing underway has been knocked back by Maitland City Council.

At council's meeting on Tuesday night eight of the twelve councilors voted against the consultation requested by the NSW Office of Environment and Heritage.

The NSW Office of Environment and Heritage suggested in a letter to the council that they provide "in principal" support for the nomination to allow the Heritage Division to begin community consultation in Morpeth and surrounds to determine what support there is for the listing.

The consultation would happen before any official heritage listing.

Morpeth Heritage Conservation Group President Simon Brooker is slamming the council's decision and said it's not the first time they've tried to get the town heritage listing -  back in 2007 Morpeth received a nomination but then it seemed council tossed it in the bottom drawer.

"I don't know whether there's sour grapes within the components of Maitland City Council that certain people didn't get elected into the positions that they wanted or whether there's another agenda there we just don't know. But just voting no to allow a community to have a say is reprehensible as far as a council is concerned," said Simon.

Simon also said the heritage nomination won't stop any development within the town, but what it will do is make sure any development is consistent with the heritage of the town and its surrounding countryside.

He said the decision council made against the town having a say doesn't bode well for the their future.

"It's staggering and what is even more staggering is that our elected council, the people who we vote in and whose rates we pay, decided to vote no for allowing their community to have a say on their future. It's absolutely quite extraordinary," said Simon.

Expresso Me to the Aroma Festival

BY DANIELLE RIES

This weekend the Maitland Your Say team will be at this year's Aroma Festival to talk all things community.

The festival will be taking place in the riverside car park at the levee, where the Maitland Your Say team is encouraging members of the community to come and express their thoughts on a range of projects.

The community can have their say on a range of projects including the Lorn Riverbank and Queens Wharf in Morpeth, The Maitland Urban Settlement and Local Planning Strategy, as well as the Open Museum concept.

MaitlandCity Council's executive manager for strategy and performance Leah Flint says the council are focusing on a few different projects.

"There's a chance for people to talk to us anything and everything to do with the council, but we are focusing on three particular projects this year".

She also says the opinions of residents will go a long way in helping these projects.

"Councils committed to using the results of the engagement to inform their decision making. So all of those plans have a report that goes back to council with what the community says, the results of that engagement, and it all goes into informing the ultimate project delivery that comes out at the end of the process". 

Credit- Maitland Aroma Website

Councillor Bob Geoghegan running for Maitland Mayor

BY SARAH BARONOWSKI

With a local election looming in September, Maitland Councillor Bob Geoghegan is today announcing plans to nominate for Mayor of Maitland City Council.

As the endorsed Liberal Party candidate, Councillor Geoghegan is seeking the top position on Council. Citing years of experience with state government, he believes he has the strong working relationships and knowledge of community issues to fulfil the role of Maitland Mayor.

"I think I've got the right combination of energy, and experience, and passion and respect that's needed to be the Mayor of Maitland and to keep the city progressing as it has," he said.

If elected, Bob Geoghegan says there's a number of key issues he'd like to focus on including traffic congestion on the New England Highway, Testers Hollow Flooding and the new Metford Hospital.

"But the one that I've identified initially is the issue of value for money and the cost of living for people. I think the next Council has to be very aware of that and make sure that we get very good value for the ratepayer's money."

He says he hopes he and his team, which will be announced in the coming weeks, have a good chance of being elected.

"I think that's the challenge for me is to convince people that the best result for Maitland would be if I was Mayor. There will be a team announced in the coming week and they are very good candidates and I'm hoping that they will also be elected and they will support me."

Councillor Bob Geoghegan [Image: Maitland Mercury]

Renewed calls for government investment in Maitland

BY JARROD MELMETH and JESSICA ROUSE

Following the approval of 247 housing lots at Thornton and Louth Park there have been renewed calls for the State Government to invest in the area.

The developments and their applications across the two suburbs were approved at Tuesday's Maitland Council Meeting just weeks after 511 lots were approved for Defence Housing, also in Thornton.

Maitland MP Jenny Aitchison believes the approval of more housing developments goes to the very heart of why the State Government must invest in more infrastructure in the area, particularly in schools.

"We need to ensure that the government comes good on infrastructure. The government needs to invest in Maitland in schools and education in order to make sure these people who come to Maitland have adequate facilities," said MP Jenny Aitchison.

Census data shows there was a two percent population increase in Maitland between 2011 and 2016 with the numbers only going up. Maitland was also identified as a high growth area being the fastest growing outside of the Sydney metropolitan area.

MP Jenny Aitchison says the lack of housing affordability in Sydney, Newcastle and in other major centres, is pushing people to come to Maitland instead where there's relatively low cost housing compared to a lot of these areas.

"The development approved goes to the very heart of why we need this new hospital, why we need the government to be investing in schools. We will be working to get new schools into Maitland to get expansion of our existing schools to cope with that demand."

Maitland population set to grow even further

BY JARROD MELMETH

Maitland's population is set to grow even further following council's approval of two development applications for 247 lots across Thornton and Louth Park at Tuesday night's council meeting.

According to the latest census data, Maitland's population exceeds 77,000 residents, which is a two percent increase from the 2011 census results.

The approval of more residential housing comes just weeks after Maitland Council approved a housing development application from Defence Housing Australia known as Wirraway, which features 511 housing lots in Thornton.

An application for a 71 lot residential subdivision within the North Urban Release Area, with associated stormwater infrastructure at 508 Raymond Terrace Road was lodged by Paradigm Planning and Development was originally lodged with council along with a proposed new intersection onto Raymond Terrace Road.

Council's report shows two submissions were received during the public notification period in objection to the proposed development saying "a landowner opposite the subject site objects to the development on the grounds of traffic impacts and the intersection design; and the other from the adjoining landowner to the west who objects to the development on the grounds of the location of the road connection between the two sites". The report says the issues have been addressed in the report.

At Louth Park, Valhalla Investments lodged an application to develop the existing two lot land into 176 lots for housing on Dagworth Road, which has been identified as a bushfire prone, gazetted within a proclaimed Mine Subsidence District and subject to flooding.

Maitland Council's Manager for Development and Environment said although the sites are prone to fire, mine subsidence and flooding, the development area has passed all the required assessments.

"There are areas around Louth Park that are subject to flooding, much like most parts of Maitland but, those issues have been well planned for and evacuation routes are sound for this particular subdivision.

"Mine subsidence does have a role to play in the approval of structures, having said that the Mine Subsidence Board have signed off on the principle of residential development.

Mr Simm believes the release of the land is a step towards addressing the population growth of the region.

"The population growth and the number of residential lots released over the past five to seven years demonstrate the demand for housing in the Maitland area," Mr Simm said.

Development site for 71 houses at Raymond Terrace Road, Thornton.

Development site for 176 houses at Dagworth Road, Louth Park.

Maitland Hospital battling to stay in public hands

BY JOSH SIM

Despite today's announcement by the State Government to keep Wyong Hospital in public hands, Maitland Hospital's future remains uncertain.

Maitland is one of three public hospitals, including Bowral and Shellharbour, that Unions NSW are campaigning against proposed privatisation.

Secretary for Unions NSW, Mark Morey says the privatisation of a hospital already run on a tight budget means any new owner would have to make cuts, either to jobs or patient care, to turn a profit.

'Public health should be in public hands, and it's not fair to privatise it and reduce services for working people,' Mr. Morey said.

'NSW is growing and it needs investment in its hospitals, not cost cutting sell-offs.'

Morey has urged any Hunter resident that feels strongly about keeping Maitland Hospital public to contact their local MP and strongly object to the privatisation of their hospital.

Maitland Hospital. Source: Singleton Argus

Vandalism strikes yet again in Maitland

BY JESSICA ROUSE and IAN CROUCH

There's been another senseless act of vandalism in Maitland.

This time the new garden at the recently upgraded No. 1 Sportsground was targeted, with plants ripped out of the ground and thrown across the carpark on Saturday morning.

It comes only weeks after a new park at Gillieston Heights which has been dedicated to a local WWI hero, was trashed.

Maitland Council offers a reward for any information that leads to the conviction against those who vandalise property.

Image Cr Philip Penfold Facebook page

Off-leash dog park for Maitland

BY JESSICA ROUSE

An idea flagged by Maitland City Council a couple of years ago is finally coming to fruition, an off-leash dog park.

The Council has announced a $25,000 dollar enclosed off-leash dog area as a part of their Operational Plan currently on exhibition.

The park is proposed for a block of land on Morpeth Road in the old brickworks quarry where there is already a large enclosed playground.

There is the possibility of more works to be completed in the old quarry, with the potential for toilet blocks, car parking and more. Councillor Phillip Penfold says the dog area at least is due to be adopted next month as a part of the Operational Plan.

"I see in examples of locations around the state that you can provide some interesting aspects for dogs. I think that developing the parcel of land down there at Raworth on Morpeth Road is a fantastic place that can only be further enhanced."

Council is welcoming feedback from the community about the project as well.

"The draft proposal is out on exhibition and this is one element of a large plan moving forward. The intention is to provide the off-leash dog area in the 2018 -19 period. It's one thing people can comment on and if they'd like to offer their feedback it would be welcome for that feedback to be provided to council."

Raworth playground. Image CR Phillip Penfold Facebook page

Maitland Council's spending plans up for comment

BY JESSICA ROUSE

Maitland City Council won't be going on too much of a spending spree without the community knowing about it, with their proposed spendings for the next financial year up for comment.

The draft operational plan for 2017/2018 outlines what the council intend to spend $148 million on, including $13 million set aside for road repairs.

The plan underwent an expansion after the failed merger with Dungog, meaning more money can be spent within the Maitland council area.

Mayor Peter Blackmore is calling on the community to make comment and have a look at where their ratepayer dollar is going, as well as government funding.

Image Hunter Independant

"You've got to be able to show that you are listening to your community, that you are adding value for their rate dollar, and of course the fact that we did not have to merge meant that we could then concentrate more on the city and the residents of Maitland," said Peter Blackmore.

$55 million is derived from rate revenue with the money to be spent on new and existing infrastructure, community engagement and events and environmental activities.

Mayor Peter Blackmore says almost always "if people can see it, they will form an opinion. They're either in favour of it or they're not in favour of it. But they can see that we are putting money into projects".

It's the council's largest budget to date, also incorporating crime prevention strategies affordable housing and the Council's new website.

Feedback can be provided until May 15 and the documents can be viewed at www.maitandyoursay.com.au

Maitland median strips need attention

BY RACHEL STORER

Councillor Philip Penfold on an overgrown media strip in Maitland. Image: maitlandmercury.com.au

Median strips in Maitland are being neglected by the Roads and Maritime Service says Councillor Philip Penfold.

Residents have been making constant complaints to council about the overgrown state of the New England Highway that runs through the city.

Councillor Penfold said the RMS allocation to maintain the highway median strips is insufficient and the job should be given to the council.

"The council don't own the highway or the median strip, but I think it's time the council take that over," he said.

"We need to make sure this centrepiece of our beautiful city is enhanced and kept to a proper standard".

Cr Penfold says the state of the highway was particularly disappointing over the Easter weekend with many visitors in the city.

"I think the RMS should adequately fund [the council] so we can make sure the city is kept to the standard that the residents expect."

More development headache's for Morpeth

BY JARROD MELMETH AND JESSICA ROUSE

A development application has been lodged with Maitland City Council for a three-storey apartment block at Morpeth, but residents say it will lead to major traffic and parking issues in the area.
The proposed site is the former Griffins Motors site in Swan Street, but there's a major issue - it's part of the Morpeth heritage conservation area.

GHT Holdings are looking to transform the site, and the Heritage Impact Statement they lodged says the project will have minimal impact on the heritage significance of the surrounding conservation area and nearby heritage items.

The developer also says the design is supposed to resemble stables and reflect the town's transport history.

However, some Morpeth residents totally disagree.

The unit block would be called Morpeth Central Residences bordering William and Market Streets with a contemporary design including rendered walls, vertically oriented windows, face brickwork, corrugated metal roofs, a verandah and also solar panels and a row of single garages at the rear of the site to cater for car parking needs.

Morpeth Central Residences Image maitlandmercury.com.au from Statement of Heritage Impact report
which was written by John Carr Heritage Design for developer GHT Holdings

President of the Morpeth Heritage Conservation Group Simon Brooker says he hopes commonsense will prevail and the application won't progress.

"It's two storey's, it's inconsistent with the street line, it sticks out like a sore thumb and it's just totally and utterly inappropriate to the township."

"We're looking at an application for 28 2-bedroom apartments plus parking for 26 cars - now that in itself causes a significant issue because if you look at the last census in 2011 the average household has 2 cars, we're looking at an additional 30-plus vehicles," said Simon Brooker.

Maitland Council are seeking feedback on the plans until April 12.

Maitland Councillor Calls For New England Highway Fix

BY IAN CROUCH

Maitland councillor, Bob Geoghegan is calling for the heavy afternoon traffic buildup on the New England Highway at the Maitland station roundabout to be fixed as soon as possible.

The traffic queues coming along the highway from East Maitland often stretch back 800 metres, yet there are no traffic queues for motorists travelling to Cessnock from Rutherford and the city centre, as they both have priority over traffic coming from East Maitland.

He says it means motorists are using Maitland Park and Park Street as 'rat runs', then u-turn on Cessnock Road, sometimes choking the slip lane, so they can keep driving towards Rutherford.

Bob Geoghegan has suggested traffic lights at the roundabout as an easy fix, but Roads and Maritime Service haven't commented on the issue yet.

Maitland Councillor Bob Geoghegan Picture: Maitland Mercury

Woman needs plastic surgery after being attacked by dogs

BY RACHEL STORER

A woman has needed plastic surgery on her nose after being attacked by two dogs last night in Metford.

The 40-year-old woman was walking her own dog at 7 o'clock Monday night along Chelmsford Drive when she set upon by the two dogs.

A 38-year-old man along with two girls, aged nine and 16 ran to the aid of the woman and were also mauled.

The man sustained a laceration to his hand and the girls were left with abrasions.

Following this, another 24-year-old man came to assist and was also bitten, receiving lacerations to his arm and leg.

Paramedics attended the scene and treated those involved. The 40-year-old woman who sustained significant injuries to her nose was taken to John Hunter Hospital for surgery.

The dogs were seized by council rangers soon after in a local park and are currently being held by Maitland City Council.

Two Bull Mastiffs, such as the one pictured, injured 5 people at Metford

Dungog Residents Big Losers In Merger: Report

BY IAN CROUCH

It's been revealed Dungog residents could've been left without a local councillor to represent them if the merger with Maitland Council had gone ahead.

A report to the former Local Government Minister last April has been made public which recommended the merger go ahead because the financial advantages outweighed the disadvantages.

However there was no guarantee Dungog councillors would've been part of the merged council, with the smaller shire to be completely absorbed by Maitland under the suggested amalgamation.

Earlier this month, Premier Gladys Berejiklian announced plans to merge regional councils have been scrapped.

Louth Park Prayer Room Dead And Buried

BY IAN CROUCH

A controversial Muslim prayer room proposed for Louth Park appears to be off the table for good after proceedings were dropped in the Land and Environment Court.

Maitland Council unanimously rejected the proposal last year, prompting legal action from Dr Fazal Moughal, however he's now withdrawn those proceedings.

The Louth Park Residents Group has always argued the development was not appropriate for the area due to potential noise and traffic issues.

Residents Met To Discuss Prayer Room Concerns Last Year. Photo:Maitland Mercury

Maitland Council Cracks Down On Illegal Dumping

BY IAN CROUCH

Maitland Council is stepping up efforts to crack down down on illegal dumping.

Council has received 104 complaints about illegal dumping in the past 6 months and recently obtained a state government grant to help with raising community awareness about the impacts of illegal dumping on the environment

It's planning to increase surveillance at known hot spots, while extra signs will be going up.

Educational material is also being produced to help people dispose of rubbish correctly and provide residents with information on how to report illegal dumping.

Council is also stepping up incentives to dispose waste correctly including providing residents with a free tip voucher allowing for the disposal of up to 400kg of waste and allowing green waste to be dropped off at the waste management centre free of charge at weekends.

Council's Development and Environment Manager, David Simm says everyone has an obligation to the environment.

"Illegal dumping is not only a financial burden to the community but a public health risk. Council offers a range of services and facilities that can help residents effectively and legally deal with their waste," he said.

Morpeth residents concerns over development sites

BY JESSICA ROUSE

Development plans for the former Morpeth Bowling Club site isn't the only cause for concern among residents in Morpeth.

A 50 - lot sub division is planned for neighbouring Raworth but residents fear it will increase traffic impacting residents safety.

It already hasn't been smooth sailing for the development which was originally rejected by council and has since been amended.

Morpeth Heritage Conservation Group President Simon Brooker says there isn't a lot to argue about with the site as it meets requirements, but recent developments do give cause for concern.

"The only thing that we're helping the local residents object to is that an additional application has gone in by the developer to reduce a number of lot sizes down to around the 400 metre mark. Again completely inappropriate for the area."

This will make the lot sizes significantly smaller than current residential lot sizes.

The former bowling club site continues to be a sore spot for the town which thrives as the second most visited region in the Hunter.

Residents and business owners fear a senior housing development will significantly detract from the rural setting of the town and also affect its high tourism rate.

Developers argue the Morpeth Heritage Conservation Group are completely against development of any kind, but Simon Brooker says, "We are not against development and we are definitely not against seniors housing, but it needs to be appropriately positioned and it should not impact negatively on the heritage and rural setting of the town".