Man charged over fake COVID result which shut down a Newcastle construction site

BY JARROD MELMETH

A man has been charged for allegedly claiming he had COVID to avoid going to work in Newcastle.

Police say the 23-year-old man from the Illawarra sent a text message to his employer on August 2 saying he tested positive to the virus so he couldn't go to work.

The fake result sent the construction site into lockdown and workmates into isolation.

Later that day, the man allegedly sent another text to his employer advising him his second test returned a negative result.

Acting Superintendent Brad Ainsworth says investigations revealed the man never had the virus.

"He has been charged with conveying false information that a person or property is in danger. 

"It's under the Crimes Act and carries five years penalty and he will appear in Wollongong Local Court on 14 September," Supt Ainsworth said.

Georgetown and Waratah local centres set to receive upgrades

BY JAMES CARTER    

Newcastle Council passed a motion confirming future streetscape works to Georgetown Road and Station Street in Waratah.

The upgrades are part of the Local Centres Works program which has completed similar projects in Beresfield, Carrington, Kotara, Mereweather and Stockton in recent years. 

The projects require community consultation and concept design planning but are expected to attract more customers to the business strips. 

Station Street in Waratah was included in the motion after an amendment by Councilor Andrea Rufo. 

A number of issues were raised in the meeting by Councillor Peta Winney-Baartz about tired and dated public domain in the areas. 

"Infrastructure like footpaths, roads, street furniture, garden beds, street-tree selection and signage could be improved. There are also some pedestrian and cycling connectivity issues."

"Parking, of course, will always be at a premium at our popular local centres, so I really look forward to hearing the ideas of locals and local businesses about how we can maximise turnover." she said

Assistance for shopkeepers to improve their street appeal and shopfronts was raised at the meeting and supported by the councilors. 

The Georgetown Road local area
Image: Google Maps

Mayor Defends Beach Bowl Design

BY JARROD MELMETH

Newcastle Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes has defended the design of an $11 million upgrade to South Newcastle Beach skate park following a notice of motion at Tuesday night's council meeting.

Cr John Church with the support of other Newcastle Independent Councillors put forward the notice urging council to reconsider the design citing issues with its impact on the coastline.

Cr Church said concerns have been raised with him around the skate bowl element of the design as it is planned to protrude 18-metres towards the ocean from the existing seawall.

"This is a very exposed environment. We have had a number of storm events through the years going right back to the Sygna in 1974 and more recently the Pascha Bulker storm.

"We know this is a very exposed site. We know that this skate bowl will fill with sand and debris, and we know it will cost a lot of money to maintain," Cr Church said.

Plans for the upgrades were unveiled in June when the State Government contributed $5million to the project which plans to reconstruct and transform South Newcastle Beach.

Mayor Nelmes said engineers have signed off on the project.

"They have looked at the 1 in 1000 year storm event and have signed off on the engineering that will allow this facility to function as a skate bowl that is part of a promenade.

"I'm happy to have a look at and review the reports that have been done around the engineering, however, the project has already changed significantly from the idea that was first mooted about 18-months ago to actually take into consideration all of the concerns that had been raised by a very small group of people around the beach," Mayor Nelmes said.

The notice of motion was supported, committing to a review and finalisation of the coastal engineering report to ensure the proposed skate bowl does not negatively impact on the beach and coastline, and to engage in broader community consultation on the project.

Artist impression of the new South Newcastle Beach precinct.

Newcastle Almost Ready for Supercars

BY TYLER FARDELL


Newcastle residents, start your engines!

We're just one month out from the Newcastle 500 supercars race and work to get the city 'race ready' is in the final stretch.

Come Monday, around 600 workers will begin work on erecting concrete barriers, grandstands and other temporary structures.

They’ll be working for an estimated 39 days right up until Friday the 24th of November.

Event manager Kurt Sakzewski says residents shouldn’t worry about the construction as it will not hang around for long.

“All this construction is only temporary and will be removed shortly after the race”, he said. “So we’re talking about the barrier blocks around the whole track, as well as the grandstands, bridges and other facilities”.

Next week will also see the re-opening of Watt Street to motorists, with the circuit now almost completely resurfaced. However, there’s no date as to when Shortland Esplanade will re-open to the public.

When the road re-opens, event organisers and police are aware it may attract many motorists who believe they are professional racers and decide to set the fastest lap time.

Kurt Sakzewski says any hoons will be caught.

“There will be a heavy police presence as well as CCTV cameras watching the track”.

“Any amateur racers will find the police are pretty quick themselves”.

Roadworks ramping up in Newcastle

BY JESSICA ROUSE

Construction works in Newcastle are being taken up a gear with night work going through until Wednesday this week.

The work is underway on Watt Street between Chruch and Scott Streets with the removal of asphalt and then the laying of the new road surface to be done through the night.

The noisy removal of asphalt will stop at 11pm.

It's all in preparation for the Newcastle 500, and Supercars Australia says it will be short-term pain for long-term gain with the upgrades set to benefit the city well into the future.

Supercars Event Manager Kurt Sakzewski said some of the underground infrastructure which is being replaced is more than a century old.

In addition, driveway and footpath upgrade works will continue during the day and Supercars Australia says they'll notify affected residents and businesses in advance if any access changes occur.

Lots of construction could mean lots of disruption

BY JESSICA ROUSE

The next six months will prove pivotal in Newcastle's infrastructure works with construction not only starting on the race track for the Newcastle 500 on Wharf Road, but work on Bathers Way is still ongoing.

The main focus of construction on Wharf Road from today is work on what will be the pits. For the next six months the major works will be disruptive to residents, but after this year it will take only a few weeks to set up the event instead of months of preparation for the track this year.

Major construction work is still underway on the Shortland Esplanade as part of the Bathers Way project in a bid to revitalise the section of coastline, and will see more pedestrian access, the installation of new street lighting, reconstruction fo the retaining wall on the corner of Watt and Church Street, and two-way traffic returned to the section between Watt and Ocean Streets.

Lord Mayor of Newcastle Nuatali Nelmes says the works will be completed by November just when thousands of visitors descend on the city for the race.

"It is a big undertaking in the next six months and there will be disruptions and at the same time we're also still delivering really important components of the Bathers Way that actually doesn't have anything to do with Supercars but it's the time that we're delivering."

With two major projects underway at the same time, there is sure to be some form of disruption, and council say residents have all been given a significant amount of notification and also detailed maps of the changes in and around their streets for both supercars work and council's work in the city.

"Supercars are starting their works projects six months out and it's a pretty tight time frame to deliver not only the work they need to do for Supercars, but we've been quite opportunistic and making sure we're delivering a lot of renewal projects and upgrades to other services and infrastructure in the city at the same time so it is a big undertaking into the next six months and there will be disruptions," said Nuatali Nelmes. 

"Every other year, once this work is done there, will be much shorter few weeks of bump in and bump out for the event. So the disruption, and I've said this since we announced that we were bringing supercars to Newcastle, the majority of the disruption will be this year."

Changes on the Horizon for Newcastle's CBD

BY BRIDGET GUNN

The west end of Newcastle is driving a huge boom of construction, with $700 million going towards the new high-rise housing hub.

This project is part of $2 billion going towards construction in the Newcastle area.

These new projects in Newcastle are set to have a combined value of $1.6 billion, and comprise of more than 3,000 apartments including 1,200 in the west end.

Hunter Director of the Property Council of Australia Andrew Fletcher says the construction projects will drive Newcastle's future economic growth.

"The construction projects will mean new jobs for Newcastle, it is extremely positive for the city " says Fletcher.

"We know that we have to cater for something like 10,000 new jobs and 6,000 new residents over the next 15 to 20 years."

Mr Fletcher believes that the state government's willingness to press forward with the light rail proposal in Newcastle has been a strong driving force for the construction projects.

"The government's commitment to the light rail for Newcastle has been the thing that sparked the private sectors interest in the city."

Andrew Fletcher
Source: The Newcastle Herald

Public asked to Decide Marina's Fate

BY GARY LYSAGHT

Lake Macquarie residents have been invited to attend a public meeting on the Pelican Foreshore Saturday afternoon to discuss the future of the former Pelican Marina site.

Pelican Marina before its demolition [Source: ABC].

The Marina fell into the lake earlier this year and was subsequently removed by the State Government.

Since then, the site has been in limbo as the Government remains tight lipped on their future plans.

Swansea MP Yasmin Catley will host the event, which will be attended by Shadow Lands & Water minister, Mick Veitch.

Catley says she’ll be keeping Lands & Water minister, Niall Blair abreast of tomorrow afternoon’s discussions.

“Certainly through Parliament I’ll be making sure [the] minister his the community’s views,” she said.

“He just needs to come on board now and make sure that he lets the community know that in good faith, he will listen to them.”

Minister Blair was invited to the event, but refused to attend.

Conversation has already begun over what will replace the marina and the Milanos restaurant with Catley suggesting they should simply be replaced.

“People really liked having a marina at that part of the lake,” she said.

“It was obviously well utilised because of its location.”

A free sausage sizzle will be on offer to those that attend, with attendees being asked to bring a camping chair along to avoid sitting on the grass.

Catley says the event will be easy going and community focussed.

“It’s the community coming together to give me their views on how they would like to see the building proceed,” she said.

The event will kick off at 3:30pm.

New Beds for Newcastle Private

The State Government and Department of Planning have approved an extra storey to be built on top of a new building at Newcastle Private Hospital.

It will allow for 15 new beds and an additional operating theatre, bringing the total up to 196 and 10 respectfully.

Parliamentary Secretary for the Hunter, Scot MacDonald praised the announcement, saying "these extra beds and additional health infrastructure will assist the health system to meet demand and provide timely treatment."

"The Hunter community is fortunate to have a mix of high quality private and public health providers."

The plan also included an elevated pedestrian link between the existing Kingston and Croudace Buildings.

The original plan, back in 2010 approved a six storey building on top of a three stroy parking lot, that total has now been increased to seven.