Lower Hunter Freight Corridor needs to be NSW priority. Removing traffic congesting freight trains from Newcastle suburbs is one of the key benefits of the corridor, in City of Newcastle’s submission on the Lower Hunter Freight Corridor. The Lower Hunter Freight Corridor would remove most rail freight from Newcastle’s urban
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Village Hub precinct expands as Wickham evolves. Dickson Street Wickham in 2014. An updated vision for Wickham, that has always been a semi-industrial suburb, into an urban residential neighbourhood. The Wickham Masterplan was first developed in 2017 to guide City of Newcastle’s planning decisions and delivery of urban renewal within
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No. 1 Sportsground celebrates centenary with a makeover. Newcastle could host elite cricket and AFL matches as soon as 2022 with the redevelopment of Newcastle’s No. 1 Sportsground reaches completion. As work on new lighting nears completion and with turf laid, the venue should reopen in 2022 after the new
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Newcastle 500 to return for Supercars season opener in March. Newcastle hosts the season opener of the 2022 Supercars Championship series for the Newcastle 500 on 4-6 March. The event was rescheduled from the final event of the season to the first race of the 2022 season, following a two-year
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Partnerships to restore riverbanks. Three riverbank restoration projects will provide long term improvements in water quality and fish habitat. Extensive work in the Wallamba River. Over 11 kilometres of riverbank has been stabilised. They are due to a partnership between local landholders, MidCoast Council and NSW Department of Primary Industries.
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Car park demolition reveals city to harbour view corridor. View in 2008 from south (cathedral) to north (Stockton)~ © NoH. Editor’s note ~ The car park demolition is ironic, considering a plan in 2007 to demolish it for a shopping mall, GPT Central, by The GPT Group. That mall would
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Ready for use is a 1.1km shared path along Watkins Street, Merewether, linking Glebe Road, The Junction, with Merewether Beach. The Junction Public School Principal Cath Larkman (at left), Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes and Councillor John Mackenzie at the new 1.1km shared path, in front of a new raised crossing
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Coalfields hazard reduction burn monitored by thermal drone. The National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) completed more than 640 hectares of hazard reduction burning across the Hunter Central Coast region in September. NPWS Hunter Central Coast Director Kylie Yeend said around 80 NPWS staff had been deployed across the Central
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Behind the scenes at Blackbutt Reserve. As one of Newcastle’s most popular open green spaces, Blackbutt Reserve is a haven for locals looking for COVID safe exercise options during lockdown. Walking trails aren’t the only site of activity across the popular reserve. Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes and Cr Peta Winney-Baartz
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Draft plans aim to preserve Catherine Hill Bay’s heritage. A new Heritage Area Plan aims to preserve, improve and celebrate the unique historic character of one of the state’s most spectacular coastal villages. The draft Catherine Hill Bay Heritage Area Plan and accompanying draft Catherine Hill Bay Planning Proposal will
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Tenders for remediation of former Shortland landfill site. City of Newcastle will soon go to tender to remediate a former landfill site at Shortland where much of the debris from the Newcastle earthquake was buried. Former Shortland garbage dump top centre, and Hunter Wetlands, lower center. The work will be brought forward following preliminary investigations that show the scale of work will be significantly more complex and costly than previously expected. The
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Solar panels will supplement energy consumption at Hunter Water’s Raymond Terrace Wastewater Treatment Works (WWTW). The site is the latest Hunter Water facility to adopt solar-generated electricity to power that aims to reduce impact on the environment and decrease ongoing electricity costs. The investment of more than $15 million over
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Hunter Street boasts City’s newest cycleway, and call for input on proposed Mayfield network. Newcastle’s network of active transport options now has a Hunter Street Trial Cycleway project in operation. The cycleway, between National Park Street and Worth Place, runs on both sides of Hunter Street, separated from the road
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Parliamentary Inquiry renews Singleton Mayor’s calls for greater Government support for the Hunter’s economic diversification. Mayor of Singleton, Cr Sue Moore, wants a Parliamentary Inquiry into the Sustainability of Energy Supply and Resources in NSW to trigger more Government support for the economic diversification of Singleton and the wider Hunter
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Trial aims to reduce tidal flooding at Swansea. A trial of tidal gates at Swansea will test reduction of dry weather flooding in the low-lying suburb. The gates (valves) are installed in stormwater pipes at Bowman Street and south of the Swansea McDonald’s car park. City Resilience Project Officer John
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EPA calls for nominations to join Hunter River Committee. The NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA) is calling for nominations from local industry and environment groups to join the Hunter River Salinity Trading Scheme Operations Committee. The Scheme ensures the Hunter River’s water quality is suitable for agriculture. It does this
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Cessnock City Council’s commitment to reducing electricity consumption is paying off with significant results recorded. Over the last four years Council has decreased consumption at its nine largest sites by 15%. The reduction is a win for Council’s Energy Efficiency Program, which set out with the goal to reduce electricity
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Investigations underway after environment vandals poison waterfront trees. Investigations are underway into the deliberate poisoning of a prominent stand of trees on the Lake Macquarie waterfront. Seven trees lining the shared pathway between Warners Bay and Speers Point were drilled and poisoned earlier this month, with three mature eucalyptus now
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Changes proposed for rural and environmental lands. Proposed changes to the way the region’s waterways, rural and environmental lands are managed are currently open for community feedback as part of the draft MidCoast Rural Strategy. The draft Rural Strategy sets out a proposed framework for clear and consistent land use
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Newcastle Ocean Baths first stage pool designs revealed. City of Newcastle has called for construction tenders for the first stage of Newcastle Ocean Baths’ revitalisation including the pools and lower promenade. ‘Stage 1’ of the upgrade project addresses key safety, accessibility and water-quality issues that have been identified through detailed
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Rock bags offer emergency protection but sand remains the focus for Stockton. A temporary protection structure along Stockton foreshore at Barrie Crescent is in place. The search continues for a suitable sand type to restore the beach. The beach in front of Barrie Crescent Reserve at Stockton suffered severe shoreline
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City of Newcastle has unveiled a new vision for Hamilton’s historic Gregson Park as part of the development of a draft masterplan. The vision for Gregson Park shows a larger inclusive playspace in its existing location, new community shelter on the former bowling club site, more shaded seating areas, potential for community gardens and kiosk, resurfaced
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Work on a Weir Road Bridge connecting Barnsley and Teralba will start soon. The weir crossing Cockle Creek on The Weir Road just east of Barnsley has been closed since being damaged by flood water. Lake Macquarie City Council has appointed the project’s main works contractor, Robson Civil Projects, who
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A development application to construct the Hunter’s first library museum in Lake Macquarie has been approved by council. Community Museum Officer Meg O’Donnell with skip tags once used in the mines. Image: LMCC Lake Macquarie Mayor Cr Kay Fraser said the Sugar Valley Library Museum at Cameron Park would be
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Vision for Newcastle’s iconic Harbour Foreshore. City of Newcastle released an updated vision for Newcastle’s Harbour Foreshore, with an additional 4,000m2 of play space, more picnic areas, trees and gardens, cycleways, and plans for the Wharf Road Precinct. In detail, the plan involves increasing the size of the fenced accessible
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Newcastle Art Gallery expansion to proceed. A $35.6 million project to double the size of the Newcastle Art Gallery is likely to be approved by Council. Artist’s concept of Newcastle Art Gallery expansion. Image by Newcastle City Council A financial report says that a 0.88% fixed interest rate loan of
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Please stop feeding the dingoes. Dingo photographed at Hawks Nest recently. Image: Midcoast Council MidCoast Council renewed its warning to stop feeding, or even interacting with, dingoes in the Tea Gardens and Hawks Nest region. This comes from an increasing number of reports to Council about locals and tourists feeding
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New treatment plant delivers improvement for growing Dungog community. Hunter Water has completed a new $28 million Dungog Wastewater Treatment Works (WWTW) for the town’s growing population. Dungog upgraded wastewater treatment plant. Image by HDWB The new plant has replaced an ageing facility which is now being demolished after more
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Final touches are being applied to two Newcastle coastline venue. Shepherds Hill Cottage and the Dixon Park Beach kiosk on Bathers Way now need operators to bring them to life. City of Newcastle Lord Mayor Nelmes said the upgrade and subsequent openings of these two venues under new operators will
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MidCoast Council is calling on artists to submit expressions of interest to develop one or more artworks that will contribute to the Barrington Coast Art Trail – The Tanks. Supported by the NSW Government through the Regional Tourism Bushfire Recovery Grants, the project will deliver silo art installations at the
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