Revitalising Newcastle is one step closer to restoring the city's railway station and delivering on its promise to the community after lodging a development application earlier this week.
The plans are looking to restore the site's heritage features in the hopes of turning it into a high-profile tourist destination.
Stage one of the proposal involves reinstating a balcony on the building's first level, creating openings onto Scott Street for pedestrian access and filling in the area between platforms to create a large, open space for public use.
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| Newcastle Railine [Image: The Fifth Estate] |
Program Director, Michael Cassel says the ideas behind the restoration are largely inspired by the community.
"[They want] something that's iconic, something that has food and beverage offering and something that they can be proud of so if you have visitors that come to Newcastle you can say 'hey, let's go down to Newcastle Railway Station, it's the place to be.'"
He says the stage one plans will breathe life back into the precinct.
"We want to ensure this valuable and much-loved city asset does not sit unused any longer. The last thing anyone wants is to see this beautiful building sit and rot."
But Property Council of Australia Hunter Director, Andrew Fletcher says if the site isn't restored to its fullest potential, then Newcastle could miss out on vital tourism opportunities.
"International visitors from the Asia-Pacific and China...are going to start streaming through Newcastle Airport in the next few years," he said.
"If we don't have a draw card, a globally competitive tourism draw card in the city centre of Newcastle then those visitors will bypass our regional capital altogether and will take their valuable export dollars straight to Sydney and to other parts of Australia."
Andrew Fletcher says he wants to see the railway station become a real cultural icon for Newcastle.
"Something that could really stamp the brand of the city in the same way that the Opera House does for Sydney or the Mona does for Hobart. Cities all around the world that are well-known and they're competitive, have these kinds of cultural institutions that people love to come and visit and Newcastle needs one of its own."
The project is now awaiting Council approval before restoration work begins.
