16 News

The City of Newcastle has welcomed the announcement of Simple Minds as the headline act for the Newcastle 500 concert.

The Glasgow rockers responsible for hits like Don’t You (forget about me) and Alive and Kicking will be joined by Australian rock legends Birds of Tokyo at the Saturday night 24 November gig.

This year’s event will be staged at No.1 Sportsground, offering local businesses a chance to capitalise on throngs of people.

“We’re excited that this year’s Newcastle 500 concert will be held at our premiere regional-level sporting facility,” Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes said.

“With many concert goers making their way from the Supercars precinct to No.1, there’s a real opportunity for businesses along the route to benefit.

“Activating the city over the Newcastle 500 event weekend is a priority, and having the concert located at No.1 will promote dining and shopping in Cooks Hill and at Marketown.

“As a city with a growing reputation for hosting major events, this concert location provides us with an opportunity to showcase another beautiful part of our city to visitors and locals alike.”

The Saturday night concert is free with any same day event ticket.

A large-scale renewal project to support the Beresfield community by revitalising the local centre has reached the half-way point.

The work requires the complete reconstruction of infrastructure above and below ground, with a large component of the work on utilities beneath the surface now complete.

The Lord Mayor met with local businesses and City of Newcastle works crew to mark the milestone last week.

^{The Lord Mayor with the City of Newcastle crew delivering the Beresfield local centre project.}

“The majority of businesses have been great to work with, understand the time frames required for this work and have been very supportive of the project and our work crews, who began in March and are expected to be finished in March 2019,” the Lord Mayor said.

“The project has now reached the half-way point and remains on schedule. It’s wonderful to see our suburban renewal project at Beresfield taking shape – we have had very positive feedback on the City’s works crews from the local community and businesses.

“Our construction manager and the civil construction team work tirelessly to accommodate the needs of residents and business owners and have formed great relationships with many locals who regularly stop by for an update.”

^{Staff from James Henry Real Estate with the Lord Mayor.}

A project page on our website contains current information about the project and upcoming works – http://www.newcastle.nsw.gov.au/Beresfield

The fly-through video in the above link shows the future streets of Beresfield, including smart lighting and Wi-Fi as the first of City Of Newcastle’s local centre upgrades takes shape.

Businesses and residents can take a virtual trip along the streets to see how they’ll look after completion of the $2.4million project.

The video showcases changes to Addison Street, Lawson Avenue and Beresford Avenue.

“It’s exciting to see this virtual view of how Beresfield local centre will look when this significant project is completed,” added the Lord Mayor.

“You immediately notice the smart poles, which will provide smart lighting and access to Wi-Fi, making Beresfield the first local centre in Newcastle to have smart poles installed.

“You also can clearly see the renewed road surface, wider pedestrian pathways, more public spaces in Beresford Ave, and new street trees, seating, bike racks and bins, with many of these above-ground upgrades being delivered right now.”

Befor the revitalisation project began, a public domain plan was developed involving community consultation to identify issues and possible solutions to ensure the community’s priorities were addressed.

The renewal project includes:

• A 40km/hr zone and pedestrian friendly street design
• Road and pedestrian lighting upgrade
• Lighting to the railway station
• Drainage renewal
• Water sensitive urban design with a rain garden
• New site appropriate street trees
• New public space in Beresford Avenue
• New seating, bike racks and bins
• New kerb, gutter and footpath
• Renewed road pavement
• Retention of on street parking
• Free WiFi.

Another record year has been registered on Newcastle’s development front with the total value of building approvals topping $1.2 billion.

City of Newcastle (CN) approved $1.02 billion in development applications in the 12 months to July this year, with another $94.8 million in complying development certificates* issued by both CN and private certifiers.

Projects worth another $98 million, including two mixed-use Honeysuckle developments, were approved by the State Government to see the yearly total top $1.2 billion.

“The results for the 2017/18 financial year are a fantastic outcome with Newcastle continuing to attract strong development and investment activity,” Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes said.

“Our enduring building boom is clear to see on the CBD’s skyline as clouds gather elsewhere around the country, while other indicators and new efficiencies we’re introducing point towards a sustained period of growth.

“Following a successful trial of development applications by email, we hope to make this a permanent convenience for builders and developers in the very near future.”

Other projects in the local pipeline, such as the Store’s transformation into mixed-use towers, promise to keep the annual total buoyant despite a national downturn in the residential market.

Amid sustained strong development locally, the City continues to balance infrastructure renewal with revitalisation projects to meet the higher service expectations that accompany the growth.

The 2018/19 budget features a record $100 million civil works program focused on addressing the city’s infrastructure backlog but also supports the clear strategy to create a smart, liveable and sustainable global city.

“Our budget includes a works program for 2018/19 that strikes a balance between essential asset renewal and new and upgraded services to the community,” the Lord Mayor added.

“It includes more than $23.5 million on roads and footpaths, $13 million to renew buildings, structures and places and $8.2 million to implement our Smart City Strategy.”

* Complying development is a fast-track approval process for straightforward residential, commercial and industrial development. If the application meets specific criteria, it can be determined by a council or accredited certifier.

City of Newcastle is reminding small businesses in the CBD of more than $400,000 still on offer as part of its rates relief scheme for those impacted by the light rail construction.

To date more than 102 applications have been received, with Council paying out more than $37,000 in rate relief.

To be eligible for rate relief, a CBD business needs the property owner to have paid their first quarterly rates, which were due at the end of August this year.

Rebates have been returned to 95 applicants in the first 10 weeks of the program, which is open for the duration of the 2018/19 financial year.

Eligible properties are entitled to financial assistance amounting to half the special rate historically passed onto business improvement association Newcastle Now, which in turn used the funds to promote the CBD.

“Council took this decision to provide direct rate relief to those businesses suffering from the disruption that the construction of light rail has brought about,” Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes said.

“We understand that for many small businesses their bottom line has been impacted, and this rate relief was a way Council could play a role in minimising the impact of light rail. Once it became clear that the State Government wasn’t going to provide rent relief, it was important that City of Newcastle looked for a way of supporting these businesses that didn’t come at the expense of our existing $100 million works program.

“There are hundreds of local small businesses that are yet to apply for rate relief. Clearly many are unaware that the funding exists or that they only need pay their first quarterly rates notice to be eligible. The process of application is straight forward, and businesses can apply at any time throughout the current financial year.”

The helping hand was extended in July following the Lord Mayor’ successful amendment to Council’s 2018-19 budget.

Financial assistance is available:

• to the tenant(s) of the property, or

• to the property owner – providing the property is solely owner occupied and no part is leased out

Property owners are eligible for the relief after paying their first quarterly rates instalment for 2018/19.

They should complete an application form together with details of tenants (with their signature) where applicable.

If more than one tenant occupies the property, a separate form is required for each tenant.

Council will then provide half of the amount they would have paid for the 2018/19 City Centre Special Rate in to the bank account nominated on the application form.

Both property owner and tenant(s) will be notified by email once Council makes the financial assistance payment is made.

Novocastrians can declutter their homes and offload unwanted items by signing up for this month’s Garage Sale Trail (GST) to help promote environmental sustainability.

The free national weekend of garage sales on 20-21 October is a popular way for people to connect with neighbours, find new homes for superfluous items and hunt for second-hand treasures while helping divert waste from landfill.

^{Members of Upcycle Newcastle, who have registered for Garage Sale Trail (left to right) are: Samantha Wells, Cathy Stuart and Melanie McKinnon.} 

Sellers can host a sale as a household, street or community group to make money individually or fundraise for a cause.

“City of Newcastle is proud to support Garage Sale Trail and the positive impacts it enables in communities right across Australia,” Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes said.

“It’s a simple, fun way for everyone to re-use, reduce waste and minimise their impact on the environment while also getting to know their neighbours and others in the community.

“I encourage everyone to get involved, clear out some clutter and maybe even make a few dollars in the process.”

Last year, nearly 3,000 Newcastle buyers scooped up pre-loved items from around 89 Newcastle households and groups who opened up their garages or held stalls.

More than 15,000 sales were held in neighbourhoods across the country with over 1.6 million treasures changing hands.

It’s easy to find the best treasure in our region over the GST weekend. Just search online for sales by postcode or suburb or, if you’re on the hunt for something specific, search by item or category.

Register your garage sale online or have a look at registered sales in Newcastle.

If you’re hosting a sale and plan to dispose of unsold items, pre-book a bulk waste pick-up or Summerhill Waste Management Centre voucher to minimise wait time.

To use these services, complete a waste request form on our website or phone 4974 2000 weekdays during business hours.