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.

Dawn Service attendees urged to consider public transport

BY JARROD MELMETH

If you are one of the 55-thousand people expected to attend the ANZAC Day dawn service at Nobbys Beach on Wednesday, you may want to consider public transport.

Authorities are urging people to consider the free park-and-ride service from McDonald Jones Stadium to Queens Wharf departing every five to 10 minutes return from 3:30am to 12:30pm.

President of the Newcastle RSL Sub-Branch Ken Fayle said the service will commence at 5am.

"The Lord Mayor will be lighting the ANZAC flame for 2018 at 5am and then we will proceed to our traditional service which will run through to about 6am," Mr Fayle said.

Newcastle City Police District is working closely with Council and the local Anzac Day Committee to ensure a safe, smoothly run event following the recent loss of 500 car spaces along the Harbour and in the David Jones car park.

Chief Inspector Gerard Lawson is encouraging members of the public to think about their journey in advance for the dawn service and day-time commemorations.

"Historically up to 50,000 people have attended the early morning commemoration, which leads to significant traffic congestion.

"We anticipate that the loss of Hunter Street as a traffic corridor will further impact congestion and travel times and therefore recommend that people consider using the public transport and Park and Ride options that have been planned to ensure the minimum of delay to their travel," Chief Inspector Lawson said.

The traditional Anzac Day March from the mall to Civic Park will travel along King Street and not Hunter Street, where light rail is currently being built.

Keolis Downer Hunter General Manager Mark Dunlop said Newcastle Transport would provide a number of public transport options across Anzac Day including free travel for veterans and their families.

Additional dawn service bus routes from 3:15am to 4am and 6:10am to 6:35am will also be running on the following routes:

Route 13 will depart from Glendale at 3:30am, 3:40am, 3:45am and 3:50am with departures from Queens Wharf at 6:15am, 6:20am, 6:25am and 6:35am.

Route 11 will depart from Jesmond at 3:40am, 3:45am, 3:50am, 6:35am.

Route 23 will depart from Wallsend at 3:40am, 3:45am, 3:50am and 4am with departures from Queens Wharf 6:15am, 6:20am, 6:25am, 6:35am.

A special ANZAC event route 14S service will also be operating via Belmont, Jewells, Charlestown then Adamstown to Queens Wharf.

Route 14S will be departing from Swansea at 3:20am, 3:30am, 3:40am and 6:25am with departures from Queens Wharf at 6:15am, 6:20am, 6:25am and 6:35am.

Newcastle Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes said she commends Keolis Downer for putting on extra services to ensure the event runs smoothly.

2017 Nobbys Dawn Service March. Photo: Newcastle Council.

Council restructure riles up Robbo

BY JARROD MELMETH and LAUREN FREEMANTLE

Newcastle Independent councillor Allan Robinson is raising concerns in the wake of an impending council restructure.

Under the Local Government Act, Local council CEO's are required to review the structure of council after an election, with the last restructure following the 2012 election.

Cr Robinson fears the restructure will be Labor-led considering the close-working relationship of Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes and Council CEO Jeremy Bath.

"They are just changing things to get rid of one of the senior staff members, the smartest bloke in there. He does not do what she [Nuatali Nelmes] says. He disagrees with her, and he is the last one standing and he is going to get the sack," Cr Robinson said.

Although the claims are yet to be substantiated, Cr Robinson says staff have expressed concerns following news of the restructure.

Councillors will see the details of the restructure in a confidential meeting on Tuesday night.

The restructure comes in the midst of an already tumultuous week for a council divided over a probe into councillors' electronic communications following the leak of budget documents.

Mr Bath committed to investigating who gave the documents to the Newcastle Herald unless the councillor responsible came forward.

However, Cr Robinson said, “I rang the CEO and told him it was me who leaked it."

But 2NURFM News understands Cr Robinson made the comment flippantly.

"He [Jeremy Bath] said 'I know it wasn't you, I've looked; you haven't even read it yet,' I said okay," Cr Robinson explained.

Although the document was not stamped confidential, it is understood councillors were verbally warned of the sensitive nature of the figures.

"It wasn't even confidential...it was left in the chamber," Cr Robinson said.

"It could be staff, it could be security, it could be 20 of the reptiles with no life who sit in and listen. Who knows?"

Cr Allan Robinson. Photo: Newcastle Herald.

Park and ride free for another month

BY JARROD MELMETH

Newcastle City Council has extended the free introductory period for the park and ride service from McDonald Jones Stadium until February 26. 

Originally the service would start costing commuters $2 return from the 26th of January, but, council says the extra time will be used to finalise a mobile phone app designed to make the payment as convenient as possible for commuters. 

Council CEO Jeremy Bath said there is still some work to do on the development of the app before it is ready to go.

Council recently surveyed users of the service to understand what improvements could be made.

More than nine in 10 of 243 respondents said they had recommended park and ride to a friend and more than half said they used it three days a week or more.

The vast majority of respondents or 86 per cent said the service times suited their commuting needs.

But earlier starting times were raised as a possible improvement for the return afternoon leg.

"We will look at the scheduling to see if we can move the pm starting time forward from 4.30pm to 3.30 or even 3pm in line with the feedback.

"Council is doing everything it can to make it easier for workers to get into the city during what is clearly a time of significant disruption, but which we know will ultimately lead to a vastly improved city for all," Mr Bath said.

The Park and ride bus at McDonald Jones Stadium. Image Supplied.

Row Over Shepherds Hill Cottage

BY MATT JOHNSTON

"Never have volunteers been treated so badly," shouted by Marine Rescue Newcastle Commander Ron Calman to Newcastle's Lord Mayor and Interim Council CEO on top of Shepherds Hill.

Cr Nuatali Nelmes and CEO Jeremy Bath were announcing the ramping up of the cottage's restoration, following the damage it received from the superstorm in April 2015. Marine Rescue had been using it as their base up until strong winds tore the roof off the structure.

Photo credit: Newcastle Herald

Since then, "Newcastle's best real-estate" and the "missing link" in the Bathers Way coastal path has been sitting on top of the hill, disused and sustaining further damage according to Jeremy Bath. Marine Rescue was forced to relocate from their seaside vantage point to Warabrook.

It's taken years for the restoration work to be signed off by heritage bodies and the state government, but the green light has finally been given for work to kick off in the New Year. At that point, council will also be open to expressions of interest to lease the land upon its completion - a move which has angered the volunteers at Marine Rescue Newcastle.

"The position is now that we'll have nowhere to go once our tenure is up with Newcastle City Council at Warabrook, and then we'll be looking for premises at Newcastle or... I really can't [tell you]", said Ron Calman. According to him, it should be easy for Marine Rescue to return to the site, given that their radio tower is still located on the property.

 "Power struggles- that's all [council] is about with the young ones... They don't care about us, they don't care about the membership or our training, they don't care about anything at all with Marine Rescue."

But while Ron says the views over the water aided Marine Rescue's safety operations, Jeremy Bath says they can monitor the radio waves from anywhere, just like Warabrook where they've been operating for the past 2 years.

He says the opening of the site to expressions of interest is a more transparent way of letting the community vote on the site's future, rather than previous agreements he said were done "behind closed doors".

"Unfortunately, in the past that is how Newcastle City Council did the tenancy agreement with Marine Rescue. What matters is that the public are given an opportunity to participate in the expression of interest for the future tenancy of the Shepherds Hill cottage."

"I have privately written, as well as met with Marine Rescue, and encouraged them to participate in the EOI process, and that way the public can have absolute confidence that there are no favours being done to anyone, that ultimately the future tenancy agreement is one that is above board and ticks all the criteria that the community and council require for what is undoubtedly the most valuable piece of land anywhere in Newcastle."

So far, there are proposals of a stop for walkers on the Bathers Way path to refresh themselves and take in the views from the top of the city.

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

Calls for floating pontoon at Carrington Boat Ramp

BY JARROD MELMETH

Ward 1 Candidate for the Newcastle Independents, John Church, is calling on Newcastle City Council to start work on installing a floating pontoon at the Carrington Boat Ramp.

Currently, the boat ramp is in good condition with a small sandy beach, but Mr Church believes it could be improved with a small floating pontoon.

"This would give local residents and boat owners much safer access to the harbour, particularly for passengers and their equipment.

"A good example of this is the new boat ramp that has been installed at Croudace Bay by Lake Macquarie City Council. It features a wharf which floats on some piers as the tide rises and falls but, it does provide easy access for people with boats and for loading passengers and equipment. The project is fairly low-cost and low maintenance," Mr Church said.

Mr Church also used the call as an opportunity to take aim at Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes, over recent expense claims where it was alleged Ms Nelmes racked up a council credit bill of more than $30,000.

"We were all disappointed earlier this year to find out about the Lord Mayors expensive lunches, coffees, probiotic waters, overseas trips and assistance with babysitting.

"She even has a history of producing gold foil business cards, which we think is over the top and beyond what community expectations are.

"In my view, this kind of project is a better use of council dollars," Mr Church said. 

The floating pontoon at Croudace Bay. Source: Newcastle Star

Ward 1 Candidate, John Church.

Hunter councils are stashing the cash

BY JESSICA ROUSE

It's been revealed the Hunter's "big five" councils are hoarding million of dollars of ratepayers money.

In the Property Council's latest audit of section 94 infrastructure levies, they discovered Newcastle, Lake Macquarie, Maitland, Port Stephens and Cessnock are stashing millions of dollars earning interest and bettering their balance sheets.

The five councils collected $200 million in cash from developer contributions for infrastructure and raked in nearly $50 million worth of levies, only half of which was actually spent within the 2015-16 financial year.

Hunter Director of the Property Council Andrew Fletcher believes the council would rather make their balance sheets look good, rather than spend the money on infrastructure the community wants, needs and are calling out for.

"This is money which could be going towards things like cycleways and sporting grounds today and it's just plain wrong that councils are hoarding this cash and improving their balance sheets while they rob the community of these vital assets."

Lake Macquarie Council is sitting on top with the most unused funds, with a total of $97 million, followed a little further behind by Maitland Council who have nearly $58 million.

Newcastle Council is sitting on just over $17 million, Port Stephens have about $13.5 million and finally Cessnock Council with nearly $7 million.

"Often we hear from local government about their infrastructure backlogs and cost shifting and the like but the numbers don't lie and with over $4.4 million in interest alone earnt in the last 12 months, it really points to the fact that councils need to start spending this money and start providing some of that infrastructure the community wants, needs and are calling for," said Andrew Fletcher.

Andrew Fletcher says councils defended their position saying the funds needed to be held and used to repair ageing infrastructure, and that the money reflects the growth of the city and the significant increase in the development of new land parcels in recent years.

Street art over tags and graffiti

BY GARY-JON LYSAGHT

Wallsend Park is now a little bit brighter after a group of young painters took their new found skills to one of the field's sheds.

Deputy Lord Mayor Jason Dunn watches the painting of the Wallsend Park mural Picture: Supplied

The youths are members of the Street Art Education Program, an initiative sponsored by NSW Juvenile Justice and the PCYC.  It is also supported by Newcastle Council.

The program was kick-started to help kerb illegal graffiti in Newcastle and aims to do so by teaching pupils new artistic skills and ways to practice their craft legitimately.

It also distinguishes illegal and legal public art and also points out the association graffiti often has with other, more serious, crimes.

Deputy Lord Mayor Jason Dunn was at Wallsend Park while the youths were at work on Wednesday, and said it will help liven up the western suburbs.

"It helps to brighten up some otherwise dull areas of Newcastle," Cr Dunn said.

"I know the piece down at Wallsend Park; I was there yesterday and met the youths involved and it's turned out fantastic.

"It's turned a very dull, dingy looking shed into a beautiful artwork and certainly brightens up the park area."

Illegal graffiti in the Newcastle LGA is currently cleaned-up by council staff at ratepayers expense.

"Removing graffiti has cost council around $640,000 in the past year," Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes said.

"This initiative is a way we can proactively tackle this issue and hopefully reduce annual costs."

Cr Dunn with Leanne Tillock at the Wallsend Park mural on Wednesday Picture: Supplied

Leanne Tillock from the Newcastle Juvenile Justice Community Office said the program has also taught youths about the immense costs of graffiti to their city.

"It builds a sense of pride and respect for public spaces, and reinforces pro-social beliefs about the role of graffiti art in urban culture," Ms Tillock said.

Newcastle Regional Show recieves funding boost

BY JESSICA ROUSE

The Newcastle Regional Show has received a much needed funding boost from the NSW Government.

A one off $40, 000 grant was given to the Show Society yesterday, as a result of a plea made to the office of Parliamentary Secretary for the Hunter Catherine Cusak.

The government has vowed to undertake a review to help secure the future of the 115 year old event by investigating alternative revenue streams.

"We were contacted yesterday afternoon [Tuesday 28th February] to indicate that they had a cash flow crisis and this $40, 000 announcement is the Premier basically stepping in to make sure that the Newcastle Show goes ahead in 2017 and we want to also secondly make sure the show can be more secure and viable well into the future," said Catherine Cusak.

Meanwhile, State Member for Newcastle Tim Crackanthorp says Labor are pleased with the news, but a one off payment this year, won't be helpful for next year.

"We've been lobbying the government for the last month and while it is a good one off payment of $40, 000, we really need to see the arrangements change in terms of the rent and car parking payments for the future so the show can keep going."

Newcastle's light rail project reaching another milestone

BY JESSICA ROUSE

Newcastle's former heavy rail corridor is taking shape, and forty workers will now be calling Downer EDI's new main site office home.

The new office, located between Merewether and Argyle Streets, will act as the nerve centre for light rail construction management.

Revitalising Newcastle Program Director Michael Cassel says not only is the office an accomplishment for the project, but it will be of benefit to local businesses.

"It's a good milestone for us to achieve in actually establishing the site offices and focusing the workforce; and I think the surrounding businesses will benefit also from the extra trade they'll receive through the simple things like lunches, morning tea and coffee."

With the building located right in the centre of the light rail route, the site will have its own access road off Argyle Street with parking spaces also set aside for construction workers, so existing parking spaces aren't taken up by the workers.

Michael Cassel says with workers working in various areas across the whole site, residents and visitors to the city shouldn't notice any disruption to either traffic or parking.

Image sourced from:
http://theconversation.com/will-it-be-the-end-of-the-line-for-newcastles-train-or-for-baird-38534

Minor Changes Proposed For Newcastle 500 V8 Supercars

BY IAN CROUCH

 The organisers of the V8 Supercars have agreed to change the route of next year's Newcastle 500 following concerns from residents.

About 150 people turned out for an information session last night at Fort Scratchley with NSW Supercars Manager, Murray Hodges.

He told the meeting feedback from the community and Newcastle Council has convinced them to remove the race track through Pacific Park from the original design.

A revised track design will be presented at another community meeting on December 13.

Liberals Absent From Extraordinary Meetings

BY GARY LYSAGHT

Newcastle Council’s Liberal Councillors have been accused of using obstructive tactics to force a merger between Newcastle and Port Stephens Council after lodging a motion to block legal action against the merger and then failing to turn up to meetings to discuss the motion.

Council has held three extraordinary meetings this week, with the expectation to discuss the motion to rescind legal action only to be halted by the absence of those wanting to stop potential legal action.

Jason Dunn [Image: Newcastle Herald].

“We’re payed an allowance to attend meetings and I don’t think there’s an excuse for any Councillor, particularly a Councillor that has actually brought a motion [to not turn up],” said Deputy Lord Mayor Jason Dunn.

“As elected Councillors, that's what we signed up for.”

“I know I’ve turned up to a meeting before to ensure we have decorum, with an 18 month old child with me, but that’s what you do to make sure Council can function,” he said.

Liberal Councillor Brad Luke was among those who didn’t attend any of this week’s meetings and says he had personal commitments that prevented him from attending.

“Being on Council’s a part-time job, they [Councillors] have other businesses they’re running and jobs they’re doing and they set their life schedule around that meeting schedule,” he said.

Luke also suggested that it wasn’t only Liberal members not attending the extraordinary meetings.

“[Labor] Councillor Tim Crackanthorp has also not been at any meeting this week,” he said.

Liberal Councillors have been critical of the motion to seek legal advice on the proposed merger since it was first suggested, saying it’s unlikely to change anything since the State Government can simply amend anything wrong with the proposal.

Liberal Councillors Brad Luke and Sharon Waterhouse [Image: Newcastle Herald]. 

They've summed it up as a big waste of money.

Jason Dunn has suggested the Councillors critical of the motion should attend the next extraordinary meeting on Thursday, saying they need to make time for that meeting.

“If they’re too busy with work and other commitments, well then, they should really consider their position as a Councillor I would think,” he said.

“It really is a disgraceful situation that these Councillors who are paid to attend these meetings and represent the community can’t be bothered turning up.”

Brad Luke has been critical of the whole situation, suggesting Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes is calling extraordinary meetings for no reason.

“The only time you normally have an extraordinary meeting is in times of great urgency,” he said.

“This is simply the Lord Mayor wanting to waste money on pursuing legal action, suing the State Government.”

Luke also accused the Lord Mayor of “playing political games and carrying on”.

“I think it’s utterly ridiculous the way she is going on with this,” he said. 

Rail Corridor Plans Divide Newcastle

BY GARY LYSAGHT

Protesters against the development of the rail corridor [Image: Ian Crouch]

Urban Growth’s planning proposal for Newcastle’s former heavy rail corridor has been handed down to Council for scrutiny.

The estimated $500 million commitment from the State Government will see the corridor transformed into an area with buildings are public spaces, including parks.

The plan will see the rezoning of up to 4 hectares of the city from Worth Place to Newcastle Station.

Hunter chairman of the Property Council of Australia, Ed Crawford approves of the plan and says it will benefit the city.

“The objective of this is to really revitalise the inner city and make it a desirable place to be for people to work and live in,” he said.

“In lots of ways this puts Newcastle on the map and a place where tourists would want to come and spend time and money.”

One of the key issues Urban Growth had to take into account was the need to keep buildings under nine storeys.  Crawford says this was respected.

“There’s no high rise building contemplated in this scheme, I think it’s all very compatible with the built form that is around those number of sites,” he said.

David Shoebridge [Image: Ian Crouch]

“It seems, from the information that’s been released, a good compromise between those who might say three will be development opportunities and those that say there should be lots of public space.”

“I think there seems to be a suitable blend of both.”

Not everyone shared Crawford’s optimism though, with Greens MP David Shoebridge leading a protest of about 40 people in the city on Thursday.

The group was protesting the plan to develop on the land, and saying the door has been left open for more private development.

“From day one, this was well connected property industry, doing what it does every day in NSW politics,” he said

“They get in the ear of the decision makers, they find the public land where they can make the largest amount of profit and they circle around, getting the Government to do their bidding.”

Shoebridge warned the city could end up like Sydney, with regions deemed as public places having private buildings placed on them.

“We saw it in Barangaroo in the heart of Sydney, 22 hectares of public space.  Originally it was going to be parkland for public interest, and instead we get a ruddy-great casino owned by a billionaire,” he said.

“Here, their montage is all about public open space and a green outlook.  If it goes ahead, we’ll see more intense development and more public land handed over.”

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.

 

Proposed Merger of Newcastle City and Port Stephens Councils

Image sourced: Gordan, 2015, Newcastle Herald from
http://www.theherald.com.au/story/3483836/mp-outlines-super-council-plan/

Former Mayor of Port Stephens, Craig Baumann, has expressed his concern at the proposal to merge Port Stephens and Newcastle City Council.

In his letter to local government, his key concerns were a lack of 'Communities of Interest', an unproportional percentage of representation for Port Stephens, and the implications on Newcastle's airport.

Mr Baumann in his letter alluded to the fact that a recent IPART report declared Port Stephens "Fit for the Future", also stating Newcastle Council has been "dysfunctional" for a long time and that it cannot manage its budget.

"The infusion of funds from Port Stephens will be great for the people of Newcastle in the short term."

It will be disastrous for the residents of Port Stephens and they will fight it tooth and nail,"he said.

He made further suggestions to improve the Hunter which included extending the Northern boundary of the town to include the Myall Lakes.

He encourages residents to lodge objections and make submissions to the government before final decisions are made.

Newcastle CBD conflict of interest

Greens Councillor, Michael Osbourne, has accused the State Government of conflict of interest regarding Newcastle's CBD planning.

The NSW Government has appointed developer Urban Growth NSW to coordinate the planning in the CBD but Councillor Osbourne argues planning should be carried out by the Newcastle community.

Some community members are concerned proposed towers will obscure the Cathedral and should be moved to Newcastle West.

Newcastle Inner City Residents Alliance is meeting 7pm tonight at City Hall to discuss the matter.

Council reviews comunity childcare centres arangements

The future arrangements for five community childcare centres located on council-owned property will be debated next week

The proposed option of leasing the land to existing centres would allow council to scale recovery of it's cost over time, as well a providing a direct relationship between the rent and the number of places at each centre.

Newcastle Lord Mayor, Jeff McCloy, says the plan will secure the future of the centres.

"The recommendation is that we lease to the [community] groups so all the five community childcare centres on council owned land and council owned buildings. We need try and get some commerciality (sic) into this," Cr McCloy said.

Cr McCloy said that in the real world Childcare businesses had to buy their own land and pay for the building.

"I think this is a very fair proposal to these community groups they don't have to buy the land they don't have to build the building  they just have to pay some rent and maintain the building."

Cr McCloy hopes the plan will allow the Childcare centres to secure places.

Fears For Community Childcare Rent Increase

Newcastle's community based childcare centres are again fearing fee hikes due to higher rental demands.

A council project is aiming to formalise lease arrangements in council owned buildings.

Rent increases will affect the quality of care the centres are able to provide whilst also being more expensive.

Families using the community service may see daily fees rise by approximately $15 per day if the project goes ahead.