Category: Newcastle News

Newcastle’s already incredible collection of vibrant and eclectic street art is set to don another nine new large-scale murals with the return of Big Picture Fest this weekend.

City of Newcastle (CN) is supporting the festival as part of New Annual with Special Business Rate funding to bring local, national and international artists together over three days.

Local street artist Goya Torres, originally from Mexico, will bring to life a wall on Gibson Street with local characters carrying spiritual animals on their shoulders whilst the exterior of Hunter Water’s office will be emblazoned with a striking abstract mural by Noosa-based artist Rosie Woods.

Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes said Big Picture Fest enhances Newcastle’s public art scene and contributes to the vibrancy of the city whilst creating an artistic legacy for the community and activates the city to support local businesses.

“Newcastle is a major arts and cultural destination that is entering a new phase of maturity and sophistication thanks to ongoing revitalisation right across our city,” Cr Nelmes said.

“Big Picture Fest is a major international street art activation that brings together local, national and international renowned artists in celebration of art in public spaces in Newcastle.

“The festival celebrates Newcastle’s history and creative culture by showcasing amazing talent through large scale murals in the city for visitors and locals to enjoy.

“Big Picture Fest is a great example of how Special Business Rate funding can be used to help beautify and activate our business precincts which provides a boost to the economy and supports local jobs.”

City of Newcastle’s Public Art Reference Group (PARG) support Big Picture Fest and consult and advise on the artists and murals chosen to enhance Newcastle’s streetscapes.

Councillor and PARG Chair Carol Duncan welcomed back Big Picture Fest and said the festival is a creative way to reinvent and refresh quality artworks across the city.

“Street art is an important component of Newcastle’s changing landscape, documenting our rich industrial, social and cultural history, and plays a significant role in fostering a dynamic and vibrant creative arts sector,” Cr Duncan said.

“City of Newcastle has just created a two-part podcast on the festival Newcastle’s street art scene that is well- worth listening to.”

Big Picture Fest Newcastle Director Katerina Skoumbas said excitement was building for the return of the festival in Newcastle.

“It will be a busy weekend for Newcastle, so we encourage people to get out to see the artists in-situ as the art they create injects so much colour and energy into our city,” Ms Skoumbas said.

Big Picture Fest returns to Newcastle Friday 30 September until Sunday 2 October 2022 and is free for the community to attend.

For more information and a mural map, visit thebigpicturefest.com/event/newcastle-2022/ or listen to City of Newcastle’s Street Art Podcast Part 1: The ephemeral nature of art and Part 2: Jordan Lucky paints a picture of Newcastle’s street art scene.

City of Newcastle is making progress with the implementation of actions outlined in the Stockton Coastal Management Program 2020, with tenders to be called soon for the construction of a new buried seawall.

The buried protection structure at the southern end of the existing Mitchell Street rock wall is the first of three new structures to be delivered to shield Stockton’s coastline and reduce the chance of erosion during large swells.

Newcastle Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes said the design for the structure was developed based on a detailed assessment of possible options first undertaken as part of the 2020 Coastal Management Program.

“We considered a range of factors when coming up with this design, including each option’s ability to address both erosion from storm events and long-term beach recession, its ability to protect public assets at high risk sites, as well as how well each option enabled access to the beach and how it will look to beach users once its constructed,” Cr Nelmes said.

“We also considered environmental impacts and performance, and the cost to construct and maintain the structure over the long term.”

The buried seawall will consist of underground vertical concrete piles that extend from street level to 8.5m below ground. Once constructed only the very top of the round beams will be visible at ground level.

Construction is planned to start early next year and is complemented by a range of emergency repair works already underway at hotspots up and down Stockton Beach.

“The repair works, including renewal of sandbags and addition of new rockbags at a range of locations is important to secure these sites ahead of construction of permanent, vertical, buried structures.”

City of Newcastle reminds the community to follow safety warnings and to adhere to any accessway closures or hazard notices that impact use of the beach while this work is completed.

Investigations are underway following a fatal crash in the Hunter Region today.

Just before 11am (Saturday 1 October 2022), emergency services were called to Flaggs Road near Depot Road, Merriwa, following reports a vehicle had left the roadway and hit a tree, before rolling a number of times.

NSW Ambulance paramedics attended and assisted the occupants; however, one of the passengers – a 10-year-old boy – died at the scene.

The second passenger – a 15-year-old girl – was taken by road to John Hunter Hospital in a stable condition.

The driver – a 46-year-old man – was airlifted to the same hospital in a critical condition.

Officers from Hunter Valley Police District have commenced inquiries into the circumstances surrounding the crash and are appealing for anyone with information or dashcam footage to come forward.

A report will be prepared for the information of the Coroner.

City of Newcastle has completed a $5 million facelift of Stockton’s Local Centre, delivering new footpaths, increased shade and improved pedestrian and cyclist safety in time for the school holidays.

Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes said upgrading Mitchell Street in Stockton will provide a range of benefits for locals and visitors and continues City of Newcastle’s significant investment in the coastal suburb.

The Local Centre upgrade is one of 26 projects valued at more than $17 million delivered in Stockton during the past five years, including coastal protection works and the hugely popular Active Hub.

“I’m pleased to see the finished work on this important upgrade, which has created a safer, and more vibrant public space for the Stockton community to enjoy,” Cr Nelmes said.

“With the school holidays now underway, this refreshed space encourages residents to support local Stockton businesses, providing improved spaces to shop, dine, and meet with friends.

“The Stockton Local Centre upgrade also includes a significant improvement to the natural environment with the number of trees in the area being increased from three to 40 trees, which is a major boost to the shade canopy along the main street.

“In a nod to Stockton’s character and heritage, sandstone from existing kerbs has been retained and reused to frame garden beds and raingardens at three key intersections along Mitchell Street, while interpretive signage developed in collaboration with the Stockton Historical Society, will be installed along the street as well.

“I am looking froward to celebrating the conclusion of works with the community on Sunday 30 October at our fun, family-friendly event celebrating all things Stockton and featuring lucky-door raffles, face painting and more.”

Lucas Gresham, a local Stockton resident and President of Creative Property, states that the upgrade of infrastructure has been long awaited.

“The Stockton Local Centre upgrade entices new business to the area and as a community, it encourages people to shop local and provides a big economic boost.”

Neighbouring Crown Street will also benefit from further enhancement works to be completed by end of this month.

The Stockton project was completed under City of Newcastle’s Local Centres program, which is delivering upgrades to suburban centres across the local government area. Previous projects have included Beresford Avenue, Beresfield, Young Street, Carrington, James Street Plaza, Hamilton, Llewellyn Street, Merewether, Joslin Street, Kotara, and Sandgate Road, Shortland while construction is underway at Orchardtown Road, New Lambton.

Newcastle’s renowned “eat street” precinct on Darby Street in Cooks Hill will come alive as part of a six-month trial with extended outdoor dining facilities, community focused events and improved pedestrian and cycling infrastructure under the Streets as Shared Spaces initiative.

The start of Darby Street’s transformation was officially launched today by Newcastle Deputy Lord Mayor Declan Clausen.

The trial will calm traffic and bring diners out onto the street as the extended footpath dining areas commence.

Newcastle ord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes said the Darby Street trial is part of the Streets as Shared Spaces initiative and aims to test and build innovative ideas that attract people back into public spaces, in a safer way.

“Novocastrians are changing the way they explore and connect. Residents are walking and cycling more, and this means that we need to have a larger focus on providing spaces that are safe, green, welcoming, and accessible,” Cr Nelmes said.

Deputy Lord Mayor Declan Clausen said the temporary nature of the works allowed the City of Newcastle to trial these pilot projects with the support and feedback from the community and local businesses.

“By implementing this trial, we hope to gain valuable insights that will allow us to plan for long-term positive change across the City’s Local Centres Renewal Program which delivers attractive, vibrant, and healthy open spaces.”

A large 120m2 temporary dining platform, built using recycled materials, has been placed over several car parks between the Sanctum and Goldbergs restaurants. The new dining platform allows businesses to more than double their outdoor dining space and frees up the footpath for pedestrians, providing an immediate boost to local cafes and restaurants.

Further along Darby Street, a new pedestrian crossing safely leads visitors to the re-energised Darby Headphones Courtyard. New street furniture, lighting, surfacing, and public art in the courtyard encourages people to visit, stay and connect.

A condition of the NSW Government grant required Darby St speed to be reduced. Transport for NSW have approved a temporary 30km/hr speed reduction for approximately 400 metres of Darby St, between the Newcastle Art Gallery and 188 Darby St.

Co-Owner of Three Monkeys café on Darby Street, Anthony Strachan said he is hopeful the trial will draw more people to the precinct and help showcase all that Darby Street has to offer.

“The last couple of years have been extremely challenging for all small businesses. We are already seeing people come back into the city and we are hoping this trial will lead to more excitement and an enhanced Darby Street experience,” Mr Strachan said.

To assist with availability of short-term free parking in the area, temporary drop off and pick up zones will be installed near to Council Street and car parking spaces to the rear of the Newcastle Library will be converted to 2P free spaces for the duration of the trial, offsetting carparks impacted by the temporary dining platform.

The trial will celebrate Darby Street’s link to culture, art, music and food through a series of events including, temporary pavement murals and a pavement art competition by Chalk the Walk as part of the New Annual Festival and a free day of activities at the Darby Street, Street Party on the corner of Council Street, Saturday 15 October 2022.

More details on the Darby Street, Streets as Shared Spaces trial events can be found at whatson.newcastle.nsw.gov.au

The trial has been made possible with a $500,000 grant from the NSW Government through the Streets as Shared Spaces program (Round 2) and funding from the City of Newcastle Urban Centres Revitalisation Program.

Five people have been charged with more than 80 offences following investigations into multiple rural crime-related incidents in the state’s Hunter Region earlier this year.

During March and April 2022, multiple illegal hunting and malicious damage offences were reported to police in Hunter Valley Police District.

Investigators from the Rural Crime Prevention Team commenced an investigation and were assisted by NSW DPI Hunting.

Following inquiries, officers attached to the Rural Crime Prevention Team in Hunter Valley Police District to date have issued five future court attendance notices.

Three men – two aged 23 and one 29 – and a 17-year-old boy, have been charged with a total of 81 offences relating to alleged trespass and hunting offences.

Charges include enter agricultural land with hunting dog – aggravated, enter private land to hunt animal without owner consent, and destroy or damage property-related offences.

The 17-year-old boy will appear at a children’s court today (Wednesday 28 September 2022).

The 23-year-old man will appear at Singleton Local Court tomorrow (Thursday 29 September 2022).

The second 23-year-old man will appear at Muswellbrook Local Court on Tuesday 18 October 2022.

The 29-year-old man will appear at Scone Local Court on Wednesday 16 November 2022.

A 25-year-old woman has also been issued a future court attendance notice for two counts of owner not disclose identity of driver/passenger. She will appear at Singleton Local Court on Wednesday 9 November 2022.

A streamlined solution set to slash determination times for low-impact, decision-ready development applications will be considered by Councillors at tonight’s Ordinary Council Meeting following a three-month trial.

City of Newcastle (CN) has developed an Accelerated Development Application (DA) pathway for applicants, which starts with an online triaging tool to assess developments against eligibility criteria. Suitable applications are then fast-tracked and determined within five to 15 days.

Ninety six low-risk DAs were determined during the three-month trial with an average processing time of just 5.8 days, which reduced CN’s overall processing times by 25 per cent from 50 days to 37 days.

More than 1,650 applications were determined by City of Newcastle during the past 12 months. Over 30 per cent of these would have been suitable to be determined under the Accelerated DA pathway.

Eligible developments that are deemed low-risk and do not require a notification period can include residential and ancillary developments, demolition, secondary dwellings, change of use, torrens and strata title subdivisions, signage, modifications and industrial and commercial developments.

Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes said the service was a game-changer for processing times and congratulated City of Newcastle’s Planning team for their ingenuity and commitment to streamlining the development application pathway for applicants.

“Newcastle is in the midst of a development boom. Significant levels of residential and commercial development continue to unfold right across our city and there are no signs of this slowing anytime soon,” Cr Nelmes said.

“City of Newcastle’s Accelerated DA pathway presents an innovative approach to facilitating timely development outcomes, with some of the onus on the applicant to provide a quality submission that reduces the double-handling of information and speeds up the process.

“City of Newcastle’s fast, streamlined development pathway will ensure our city is a more attractive place to invest in bricks and mortar compared to other locations.”

CN’s Planning and Environment Executive Director Michelle Bisson said applicants can still expect the same standard of professional review for each application seen by the CN assessment team.

“By identifying low-impact applications for CN’s Accelerated DA pathway, simple applications won’t get slowed down by more complex DAs that our team are assessing,” Ms Bisson said.

“Our customers can get on with building their developments much faster this way and our assessors can process significantly more applications with greater efficiency.

“It is hoped the process is supported by the elected Council tonight and potentially gain interest state-wide.”

Following is a summary of resolutions from the Ordinary Council meeting of Tuesday 27 September 2022. NB: it is not a full record of resolutions.

Lord Mayoral Minutes

Honouring the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II
A Lord Mayoral Minute (LMM) was unanimously supported that acknowledged the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on 8 September 2022, and honoured Her Majesty’s service to the Commonwealth as the longest serving British monarch.

The LMM acknowledged City of Newcastle’s connection with the throne, following approval in 1947 by King George VI of its elevation to Lord Mayor, the first Australian non-capital city to receive the honour. In addition, the LMM noted Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh visited the City of Newcastle on four occasions, in 1954, 1970, 1977 and 1988.

Council supported writing to King Charles III expressing sincere condolences on behalf of the community of Newcastle and to congratulate him on his ascension to the throne.

NRLW Lord Mayoral Challenge
A Lord Mayoral Minute (LMM) was unanimously supported that congratulated the Newcastle Knights Women’s NRL team for progressing to the Grand Final on Sunday 2 October and wishes them the best of luck as they take on the Parramatta Eels.

Council supported hosting a celebratory Civic Reception for the Newcastle Knights NRLW Team at City Hall and accepts the challenge from Cr Donna Davis, Lord Mayor of the City of Parramatta to wear the winning NRL team’s jersey in the Council Chambers at the next Ordinary Council Meeting following the NRLW match.

Ordinary business

Public Exhibition of Our Sustainable Waste Strategy
Council unanimously voted to place the draft Our Sustainable Waste Strategy – Strategic Framework, White Paper and Delivery Plan on public exhibition for 42 days.

Public Exhibition of the draft Harbour Foreshore Masterplan
Council unanimously voted to place the draft Harbour Foreshore Masterplan on public exhibition for a period of four weeks.

Accelerated Development Application System
Council unanimously voted to endorse the Accelerated Development Application System.

Adoption of amendments to the Newcastle Development Control Plan (DCP) 2012
Council voted to adopt amendments to Section 4.02 Bush Fire Protection, Section 4.03 Mine Subsidence, Section 4.04 Safety and Security and Section 7.03 Traffic, Parking and Access of Newcastle DCP. The amendments will become operational from 1 November 2022.

Public Exhibition of draft Planning Agreement for 10 Dangar Street, Wickham
Council unanimously voted to place the draft Planning Agreement and Explanatory Note for 10 Dangar Street, Wickham on public exhibition for 28 days.

Public Exhibition of draft Local Social Strategy
Council voted to place the draft Local Social Strategy 2030 on public exhibition for a minimum of 28 days.

Public Exhibition of the draft Social Infrastructure Strategy
Council unanimously voted to place the draft Social Infrastructure Strategy 2022-2026 on public exhibition for a minimum 28 days.

Wilkinson Avenue, Birmingham Gardens – raised pedestrian crossing between Blue Gum Road and King Street
Council unanimously voted to approve the installation of a raised pedestrian crossing with kerb extensions and associated footpath connections on Wilkinson Avenue Birmingham Gardens.

Newcastle Light Rail – Transport Asset Holding Entity land transfer to City of Newcastle
Council voted to approve the transfer of four parcels of land in Hunter, Scott and Merewether Streets, from Transport Asset Holding Entity, allowing for the land to be dedicated as public road.

In addition, Council granted authority to the Chief Executive Officer or his delegate to execute all relevant documentation to affect the transaction.

Executive Monthly Performance Report
Council received the Executive Monthly Performance Report for August 2022.

Hunter And Central Coast Regional Planning Panel Alternative Memberships
Council unanimously voted to authorise City of Newcastle’s CEO in consultation with the Lord Mayor and Councillor representatives to the Hunter and Central Coast Regional Planning Panel (HCCRPP) to determine staff or independent alternative representatives to the HCCRPP when Councillor appointed representatives or alternative representatives have declared a conflict of interest or conflict of duties or where they are otherwise unavailable to represent CN on the HCCRPP.

Notices of Motion

Residential EV charging
Councillors supported a notice of motion that noted the rapid increase in electric vehicle (EV) ownership in Australia and noted that the NSW and Commonwealth Governments have announced electric vehicle strategies to increase EV ownership.

The motion also notes that a number of Australian local councils are developing strategies to enable at-home charging for properties without off-street parking and that some of these initiatives are being funded by the Australian Renewable Energy Agency to trial EV charging points on power poles.

Council supported an action to develop an EV policy framework for Newcastle to include within the upcoming Environment Strategy.

EV charging – Adamstown Local Centre
Councillors supported a notice of motion that noted the rapid increase in electric vehicle (EV) ownership in Australia and reiterated Council’s commitment to the upgrade of the Adamstown Local Centre at Brunker Road within CN’s popular local centre upgrade program.

Council supported requesting that public EV charging infrastructure be included as part of the Adamstown Local Centre future upgrade.

Recognition of carers and national carers week
Councillors supported a notice of motion that acknowledged the important role that carers play in our local community and supports the greater recognition and community inclusion of carers in the lead up to National Carers Week (16 to 22 October 2022).

Councillors supported writing to the NSW Minister for Families and Communities, and Minister for Disability Services, the Hon. Natasha Maclaren-Jones MLC, and the Shadow Minister for Disability Inclusion, Kate Washington MP, calling upon the NSW Government to include local government in the next Action Plan (2023-2025) by consulting with Local Government NSW and local councils to develop actions and measurable outcomes aligned to the priorities of the NSW Carers Strategy.

Councillors also supported writing to the Federal Minister for Social Services, the Hon. Amanda Rishworth MP, and the Federal Member for Newcastle, Sharon Claydon MP, advising of the City’s support for action by the Federal Government.

Fossil fuel ad ban
Councillors supported the director’s recommendation.

Newcastle’s premier No. 2 Sportsground has been short-listed as a dedicated team base camp training site during the FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2023.

More than 30 nations will be travelling to Australia and New Zealand for the month-long tournament kicking off on 19 July through to 20 August 2023, and Newcastle’s No. 2 Sportsground could become a home-away-from-home for one of the teams.

For the first time in FIFA Women’s World Cup history, 35 short-listed team base camp options are available for selection by Participating Member Associations to be used as a dedicated training site during the competition for their entire delegation.

Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes said Newcastle has cemented its reputation as a major sporting and events host destination and would jump at the chance to welcome a FIFA Women’s World Cup team.

“City of Newcastle is committed to elevating women in sport and we are excited at the prospect of welcoming some of the world’s best female footballers to Newcastle in their preparation for a month of elite and exciting international competition,” Cr Nelmes said.

“Newcastle’s No. 2 Sportsground is a world-class facility, home to the A-league Womens’ Jets and regularly welcomes elite-level sporting fixtures like the USA national soccer team who trained on the grounds in preparation for their games against the Matildas last year.

“In 2019, No. 2 Sportsground also played host to a women’s international rugby game between the Wallaroos and Japan.

“As the world’s biggest women’s sporting event, it is expected that more than one billion people across the world will tune in to watch the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023, and City of Newcastle would be thrilled to welcome one of the teams for their preparations.

“Hosting a team would provide an invaluable opportunity to showcase Newcastle’s broader attractions to players and their large support contingent whilst offering invaluable flow-on effects for the city’s local economy.

“In the event that Newcastle is selected by FIFA as a team base camp, City of Newcastle will work closely with impacted user groups.”

FIFA are expected to confirm team base camps by 15 December 2022.