"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

Fresh Faces, New Visions and Diversity in Hunter Councils

BY JESSICA ROUSE

Newcastle have a familiar face re-elected into the top job with Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes getting 42 per cent of the vote over at the weekend's council elections.

The big topics like the V8 Supercars race in November didn't appear to make any difference in council getting the votes - they in fact won every ballot box.

Labor Councillor Declan Clausen says it's because the city knows with Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes at the helm, the community will be looked after when it comes to the race.

Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes

"People understand the vision that Labor is bringing. They endorse that broader vision and understand that we are the best people on council to try and do something to mitigate those risks and make sure things run in a fair manner."

Labor's numbers in Newcastle Council are shaping up to be a majority with five Councillors plus the Lord Mayor.

Independent Kath Elliott only received half the votes of the Lord Mayor, but she still made it to council with three other Independents, and is determined to hold them to account during the three year term.

"We will be trying to hold Labor to account to make sure that they represent the interests of the community and make sure they're not representing the interests of party headquarters in Sussex Street in Sydney," said Councillor Elliott.

The Greens and the Liberals look set to claim one seat each in Newcastle.

Meanwhile in Port Stephens, Independent Ryan Palmer has claimed the top job with 35 per cent of the first vote preferences.

The 30-year-old father-of-two takes the reigns from Bruce Mackenzie who decided not to run in this year's election.

"He was a character, but he was a good servant to Port Stephens over a long period of time. He certainly did it his way but it's now time for port Stephens to look to the future and hopefully I can bring a strong, fresh approach to council and really work with the residents over the coming three years," said Mayor Palmer.

A Mayor is still yet to be confirmed in Maitland- the numbers are swinging towards Labor's Loretta Baker, followed closely by Independent Philip Penfold.

Loretta Baker

Maitland Mayor's Job Still Too Close To Call

BY IAN CROUCH

Nuatali Nelmes has been re-elected Lord Mayor of Newcastle following the local government elections at the weekend.

She polled 42 per cent of the vote, double the result of Independent candidate, Kath Elliot.

Labor claimed Six seats - the Independents 4, while the Greens and the Liberals look set to claim one each.

Elsewhere, the race for the Mayor's job at Maitland is still too close to call, although Labor's Loretta  Baker looks set to become the city's first ever female mayor.

However, the final results will go down to preferences, with just a thousand votes separating Loretta Baker and Philip Penfold.

Meanwhile, Ryan Palmer has been elected mayor of Port Stephens and will take the reigns from Bruce MacKenzie.

Labor's Loretta Baker

Maitland Independent Mayoral candidate wants to breathe new life into Walka Water Works

BY JESSICA ROUSE

Maitland Independent Mayoral Candidate Philip Penfold is planning to breathe new life into Walka Water Works should he be elected on September 9.

He wants to see council put together a DA and approach the state government for funding to refit the cafe and re-open the small museum which once operated on the site.

"Walka Water Works is a fantastic asset to the city of Maitland, though unfortunately the pump house has been let go for far too long. So my proposal is for council to prepare plans, costings and a DA to have a project shovel ready to convert part of it into a cafe."

Philip Penfold says the site is already heavily used by the people of Maitland - there's a park run every Saturday and it's teeming with families on the weekend so having the appropriate amenities in place would only be of benefit.

"I think families will greatly enjoy a cafe or restaurant out there on Walka Water Works for the people of Maitland."

Walka Water Works Image David Threlfo Twitter
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