Category: Newcastle News

Sustainability principles with a view to creating less waste are the driving force behind an innovative Newcastle Libraries initiative, which aims to teach people new skills to fix broken or damaged items instead of throwing them away.

Newcastle Libraries has launched the free Newcastle Repair Café with the expertise of providers such as Newcastle Toy Library, Upcycle Newcastle and local repairers, which will operate at the recently re-opened Lambton Library on the last Saturday of each month until June.

Image: Bicycle repairer Nick Grinpukel, Councillor Margaret Wood and City of Newcastle Library Partnerships Facilitator Christina Robberds At Lambton Library

Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes said the emphasis on circular economy principles and sustainability aligns to the community’s vision for Newcastle.

“Creating a sustainable City has been at the centre of all our decisions, which is why Newcastle Repair Café is a great innovative initiative, fixing items are reused ensuring they don’t end up being sent to landfill prematurely,” Cr Nelmes said.

Ward 3 Councillor Margaret Wood said a visit to Newcastle Repair Café is a great way to renew unused household items, with the potential for people to also learn new skills.

“The aim of the repair café is to teach sustainable living skills to our local community through the repair and re-use of old household items, and best of all is that the events are free to attend,” Cr Wood said.

“The Newcastle Repair Cafe is a place where people with items that are in need of repairs can meet skilled repairers to breathe new life into their old items and have the opportunity to learn new skills to use for future repairs.”

The first of four Newcastle Repair Café events at Lambton Library planned for 2022 was held in March, which focused on clothing, small hand tools and bikes. The next repair café on Saturday 30 April will offer repairs for toys, clothing and bikes.

Further Newcastle Repair Café events will be held in May for textiles and clothing, and June for furniture, small hand tools, clothing and toys. The June event will also feature a plant and seed swap to promote the benefits of growing your own produce.

Newcastle Libraries will also commence weighing items presented to the Repair Café, in order to track the volume of items that would have otherwise been disposed of in landfill.

Repair cafés originated in Europe and have since become popular throughout Australia. The Newcastle Libraries initiative is the only free repair café currently offered in Newcastle.

Lambton Library re-opened with extended opening hours in March following extensive renovations including restoration of heritage features and installation of OPEN+ technology.

Bookings are not required for Newcastle Repair Café sessions. For further information on upcoming sessions visit newcastle.nsw.gov.au/library

A man has been charged following a two-vehicle crash near Salt Ash earlier this month.

About 3.25pm on Tuesday 5 April 2022, emergency services were called to Nelson Bay Road near Marsh Road, following reports a Subaru sedan and a Honda SUV had collided head-on.

The passenger in the SUV – an 80-year-old woman – was trapped for a short time before being airlifted to John Hunter Hospital suffering serious leg injuries.

Five other people – a 78-year-old man driving the SUV and a 32-year-old man driving the sedan – were taken by road ambulance to John Hunter Hospital for assessment and treatment for minor injuries.

Three passengers in the sedan – aged two, five and 31 – were uninjured.

Officers from Port Stephens-Hunter Police District established a crime scene, which was examined by specialist police from the Crash Investigation Unit.

Following investigations, a 78-year-old man attended Newcastle Police Station where he was arrested today (Thursday 28 April 2022).

The man was charged with dangerous driving occasioning grievous bodily harm, negligent driving occasioning grievous bodily harm, two counts of cause bodily harm by misconduct, negligent driving, and not keep left of dividing line.

He was granted conditional bail to appear before Raymond Terrace Local Court on Monday 23 May 2022.

An ambitious long-term vision for Newcastle shaped by more than 5,000 community members was unanimously endorsed at last night’s Council Meeting.

A record number of people contributed their thoughts on achieving a liveable, sustainable inclusive global city, as part of extensive community consultation undertaken over a 12-month period for Newcastle’s new Community Strategic Plan, Newcastle 2040.

Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes said Newcastle 2040 reflects the community’s values and vision for Newcastle, and will guide City of Newcastle’s planning, projects and policies in future years.

“Newcastle 2040 has been developed with the input of more residents than ever before with an engagement program, which met people where they were through outreach at events, schools and community facilities in addition to surveys,” Cr Nelmes said.

“We were committed to ensuring a true representation of our community was reflected through consultation by listening to people from all stages and walks of life regarding their ideas and priorities for our city’s future.

“I’d like to thank every one of the 5,440 people who gave input during the development of Newcastle 2040.

“Although Newcastle is already incredible, we must continue to plan and implement actions to ensure we maintain the city’s liveability while managing population growth, providing opportunities for economic development and diversification and making Newcastle a place for all as we become a global city.”

Community collaboration undertaken to inform Newcastle’s updated vision included thousands of interactions such as face-to-face conversations, workshops, surveys, online feedback, advisory committees and stakeholder engagement.

Priorities and objectives set out in Newcastle 2040 focus on four key themes including Liveable Newcastle, Sustainable Newcastle, Creative Newcastle and Achieving Together.

A commitment to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and culture, our planet, inclusion, supporting local, innovation and social justice principles underpins Newcastle 2040 and informs the actions City of Newcastle undertakes.

The shared vision for Newcastle 2040 includes a commitment to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, a macro blueprint for peace and prosperity that will be championed by City of Newcastle at the local level.

Local Councils are required to prepare a Community Strategic Plan every four years and they must be adopted by June 30 of the year following a local government election.

Work is set to commence beneath the Newcastle Art Gallery to prepare for the $40 million expansion of one of the city’s most loved cultural assets.

At Tuesday’s Council meeting, Councillors awarded a tender for remediation work for the site, which sits above the Dudley Coal Seam and Borehole Coal Seam.

Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes said the mine remediation is a crucial part of early work to prepare the site ahead of the main construction commencing.

“An interesting and little-known fact about Newcastle Art Gallery is that it sits atop abandoned mine workings, so it’s important that we ensure the site is safe for construction of the expanded gallery to commence later this year,” Cr Nelmes said.

“The mine remediation is a significant step forward to prepare the site, while work continues inside the gallery to decant and prepare the extensive collection for offsite storage.”

The work will target the Borehole Coal Seam, which sits around 75 metres below ground level, and Dudley Coal Seam around 27 metres below ground.

The remediation is scheduled to commence in June and will require approximately 15,000 cubic metres of grout deployed into the seams through over 100 individual bores, which will be drilled throughout the site.

The mine remediation work has been designed as part of the project’s Grouting and Verification Plan, which has received approval from Subsidence Advisory New South Wales. An application, which is currently under assessment, has been made to the Hunter Central Coast Development Corporation’s Newcastle Mines Grouting Fund to contribute to the cost of the work.

With the Gallery’s collection currently being decanted, a temporary photography studio has been set up onsite enabling the digitisation and condition reporting of the works of art prior to being placed into offsite storage.

During the Gallery’s construction period, the community can access the collection online and outreach programs will commence within local schools from May. Other special activations include events in conjunction with New Annual that will introduce local and national audiences to a new programming direction for Newcastle Art Gallery. A Gallery podcast is also due to be released later this year.

Newcastle Art Gallery closed for expansion in January this year. The expansion project includes an additional 1,600 square metres of exhibition space with dedicated areas for the Gallery’s collection on the lower level, while the upper level will cater for a variety of travelling exhibitions, including international shows.

The project will deliver a new café and retail shop, multi-purpose and educational program space, a secure international standard loading dock, and will extend the building’s footprint east along Darby Street and Queen Street. The project is expected to be completed by mid-2024.

The $40 million project has been supported by a $10 million grant from the Commonwealth and New South Wales Governments, a $10 million bequest from Valerie Ryan and $500,000 in funding from the Margaret Olley Art Trust through the Newcastle Art Gallery Foundation.

To stay up to date with behind the scenes content of the decanting process and collection highlights, visit the Newcastle Art Gallery Facebook page at www.facebook.com/NewcastleArtGalleryAustralia

Following is a summary of resolutions from the Ordinary Council meeting of Tuesday 26 April 2022. NB: it is not a full record of resolutions.

Lord Mayoral Minutes

Keep Beresfield Pool Public & low fee

A Lord Mayoral Minute (LMM) was supported that reaffirmed City of Newcastle’s longstanding commitment to the community to keep Beresfield Pool in public hands, and low fee, to ensure that families in our western suburbs have equitable access to a high-quality public pool. It also noted that in the 2022/23 draft Budget, Beresfield Pool will receive an updated playground as a part of our popular Playground Replacement Program.

Restore our Financial Assistance Grants

Council unanimously supported a Lord Mayoral Minute (LMM) to write to the Prime Minister, NSW Premier and Local Government Grants Commission opposing a decision to reduce the level of funding received under the Federally-funded Financial Assistance Grants (FAG) in nominal terms by up to four per cent, which would cut $435,000 annually from City of Newcastle (CN) budgets. CN would also seek a commitment to increase FAGs up to one per cent of Commonwealth taxation revenue, and seek a guarantee that no council will be worse off under the revised funding arrangements.

Ordinary business

Variations to development standards – first quarter 2022

Council received a report on approved development variations between 1 January 2022 and 31 March 2022.

Exhibition of draft Newcastle Development Control Plan 2012

Council voted to place four updated sections of the Newcastle Development Control Plan 2012 on public exhibition for four weeks. The sections relate to bush fire protection, mine subsidence, safety and security, and traffic, parking and access. Council will receive a report on submissions following the public exhibition.

Adoption of council policies

Council voted to re-adopt a number of reviewed policies previously adopted by the former Council. These included the Asset Management Policy, Sponsorship Policy and Media Policy.

Public exhibition of Code of Meeting Practice

Council resolved to place City of Newcastle’s Code of Meeting Practice on public exhibition for 28 days. A report detailing submissions received will be provided to Council.

Adoption of Community Strategic Plan

Council unanimously voted to adopt the new Community Strategic Plan (Newcastle 2040), which provides the basis for ongoing alignment of City of Newcastle’s decision-making processes, strategies and activities with the vision of the Newcastle community.

Adoption of the planning proposal for 41 and 47 Throsby Street, Wickham

Council voted to endorse the amended Planning Proposal for 41 and 47 Throsby Street, Wickham and forward it to the Department of Planning and Environment for finalisation. The Planning Proposal is accompanied by a draft Planning Agreement between the applicant and Council for the dedication of land and construction of a new laneway along the western boundary of 47 Throsby Street between Throsby Street and Furlong Lane.

Public exhibition of draft Delivering Newcastle 2040

Council voted to place the draft 2022-2023 Delivering Newcastle 2040, draft 2022-2023 Fees and Charges, and draft 2022-2023 Long Term Financial Plan on public exhibition for 28 days.

Executive monthly performance report

Council received the executive monthly performance report for March 2022.

Tender report – Newcastle Art Gallery mine void remediation works

Council voted unanimously to accept a tender for the completion of the Newcastle Art Gallery expansion mine void remediation works. This contract forms part of the early works required for the Gallery expansion project.

Notices of Motion

Supply and maintenance of street furniture and out-of-home media

Council supported a notice of motion to investigate the viability of partnering with a private partner to allow advertising on street furniture (including for example, bus shelters, public toilets, or appropriately placed billboards) in exchange for asset upgrades or revenue to defray the direct cost to the community of providing high quality and high standard street furniture.

505 Minmi Road – inclusion in NSW National Parks estate

Council supported a notice to motion to write to new Minister for the Environment James Griffin, and DPE, requesting that the Government includes 505 Minmi Road into the National Parks estate, noting the property’s strategic importance to the 23,000-hectare arc Green Corridor. The previous Council resolved on 8 December 2020 to nominate this site for inclusion and had consequently written to the former Minister Matt Kean.

The highly anticipated Hunter Valley Wine and Food Festival returns this year bigger than ever. Showcasing the region’s distinct wine and food culture through a series of over forty events across May and June, the event supported by Wine Selectors, celebrates the best the region has to offer.

This year’s program sees the return, after a two-year hiatus, of signature events celebrating the sub-regions of Broke and Lovedale, as well as new and exciting additions to the program.

Wine and dine with some of the Hunter Valley’s leading winemakers and chefs, take part in a range of entertaining and interactive masterclasses to sharpen your culinary skills, or if you’re seeking a more relaxed experience, simply curl up beside an open fire with a glass of premium Hunter Valley wine paired with a local cheese spread. From gastronomical lunch experiences that roll into late dinners, to vineyard and winery tours followed by a tasting, there is something to suit all palettes.

“Given the challenges the of past few years for the hospitality, wine and tourism industries, we are delighted to be able to bring our signature festival to life again with a full program across both May and June,” commented Hunter Valley Wine and Tourism Association CEO Amy Cooper.  

“The 2022 program is bursting with events and our reputable chefs, cooks, winemakers and hospitality stars are ready to put their best foot forward to allow you to immerse yourself and experience Wine Country in all its glory”.

The festival kicks off on the 29 April with the return of A Little Bit of Italy, a weekend-long festival celebrating incredible wine, great food, and Italian country style hospitality in Broke Fordwich.

This year’s program also sees the return of the iconic Lovedale Long Lunch. The progressive lunch will run on the 14 and 15 May, with leading local chefs teamed up with seven Lovedale wineries to offer guests food, wine and live music al fresco among the vineyards. A new and exciting event on this year’s program is the Firelight Festival + Firewalk, set to transform Singleton’s town centre with a spectacular light show combining unique sensory, hologram and immersive laser light experiences.

The Hunter Valley experienced high visitor numbers across the recent Easter and School Holiday period as visitors once again embarked on air and road trips after two years of lockdowns and restrictions. “We encourage people to book all aspects of their visit early, including accommodation, wine tastings, events and experiences as well as restaurants if you don’t want to miss out” noted Ms Cooper.

The full program, with something for all wine and food lovers, is now live at www.winecountry.com.au/events/wine-and-food-festival

Proposed amendments to planning guidelines will provide more clarity for applicants and enhanced safety, sustainability and environmental outcomes for developments in Newcastle.

Council voted tonight to place four sections of the Newcastle Development Control Plan (DCP) 2012 on public exhibition for 28 days, with the community invited to provide feedback on the draft changes.

Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes said the updated DCP would offer a more modern and consistent framework, with detailed planning and design guidelines to help with delivering the highest level of urban development and renewal outcomes for Newcastle.

“A lot has changed in the planning landscape since the current Newcastle DCP was implemented 10 years ago, which is why it is important to periodically update these guidelines in line with modern standards and expectations,” Cr Nelmes said.

“Following a resolution of Council in October 2020, the DCP is undergoing a full review, which will ensure its provisions are consistent with community-supported strategies adopted by City of Newcastle (CN), such as the Local Strategic Planning Statement, Parking Plan, the Local Housing Strategy and our Newcastle 2040 Community Strategic Plan.

“We’ve reviewed and suggested amendments to four key sections relating to bush fire protection, mine subsidence, safety and security and traffic, parking and access, which will provide more clarity for applicants and move this document in line with the sustainable targets and outcomes our community have told us they wanted.

“We will now seek community feedback on these draft changes, while the remainder of the DCP review will come back to Council for consideration later this year.”

Draft amendments to bush fire protection guidelines will ensure a greater emphasis on environmental preservation, reduce fire ignition risks and deliver mapping data to CN, while other provisions will help reduce community vulnerability to crime through good urban design, with all developments required to incorporate features that enhance public safety and security.

Other proposed changes will help deliver on CN’s adopted active transport and sustainability goals, such as requiring new developments or renovations worth more than $200,000 to be “EV ready” with pre-wiring to allow for electric vehicle charging points to be installed in the future, while new large scale residential and commercial developments will need to dedicate five per cent of all parking spaces to electric vehicles, with a minimum ‘Level 2’ charging point installed.

A recommendation that parking spaces in these developments become “unbundled” or separately titled to the dwellings, could also provide more affordable and flexible housing options by allowing households to choose the number of car parking spaces, they want to own or rent when purchasing a property.

A strike force has been established to investigate the aggravated sexual assault of a woman in the state’s Hunter region last week.

Shortly after midnight on Thursday 21 April 2022, the 32-year-old woman was confronted by two men at a home on Buchan Avenue at Singleton.

The men – who had their faces concealed – threatened the woman with a knife and assaulted her, causing her to lose consciousness, before sexually assaulting her.

Emergency services were contacted after the pair fled and officers from Hunter Valley Police District attended, established a crime scene and commenced an investigation.

The woman was taken to John Hunter Hospital for treatment.

Strike Force Currikee has been established by detectives from the State Crime Command’s Child Abuse and Sex Crimes Squad, and Hunter Valley Police District, as inquiries into the incident continue.

Detectives are appealing for anyone with information, or who may have witnessed suspicious activity in the area during that evening or in the days prior, to come forward.

The men were both wearing dark clothing and had their faces concealed; however, one man has been described as being of large build and the other is thin build.

City of Newcastle believes the financial hit from COVID-19 is largely in the rear-view mirror and is predicting a decade of record infrastructure spending and balanced budgets.

The Council will next week place its 2022-23 Budget on public exhibition for community feedback.

The $424 million budget is the largest in its history and includes a record $132 million on infrastructure projects including the long-awaited expansion of the Newcastle Art Gallery, the much-needed revitalisation of the Newcastle Ocean Baths, the construction of two new major recycling facilities in Wallsend and a record spend on new cycleways.

The draft Budget forecasts a modest surplus of $1.2 million, and is a return to the black following a $40 million hit to the Council’s income over the past two years from lockdowns and COVID-19 restrictions that forced the closure of many of its facilities including City Hall, the Civic Theatre and its fleet of parking meters.

Newcastle Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes said the draft Budget represented a commitment to deliver services and infrastructure that support our city and natural environment while also returning the budget to surplus.

“Our track record of strong financial management meant that during the pandemic we were able to dip into our savings to stimulate the local economy and generate hundreds of jobs when many other employers were forced to lay people off,” Cr Nelmes said.

“This budget continues our commitment to stimulating the local economy, with independent modelling showing our record infrastructure program will create up to 740 new jobs while providing the local economy with a $325 million boost.

“We’re increasing our capital works program by almost 30 per cent to deliver a record $132 million investment across a range of projects, which are fundamental to improving the way our community works and lives, as well as ensuring we continue to be an attractive destination for visitors and investment.

“The budget includes more than $50 million being invested across four city changing projects that will deliver key outcomes for the community.

“Five million dollars will be allocated towards planning a plastic, glass and paper recovery facility and $9.4 million to begin construction of an organics processing facility, which will allow our food waste to be recycled to a commercially saleable product at the Summerhill Waste Management Centre.

“We will kick off construction of the Newcastle Art Gallery expansion with a $17.4 million investment, while we will also spend $18.6 million to protect the RAMSAR-listed Hunter Wetlands by remediating and improving environmental management of the former Astra Street landfill site in Shortland.

“Investment in services and facilities across the city remains a key priority under this Budget, with $5.8 million to continue the Newcastle Ocean Baths upgrade, $16 million for upgrades to local roads, bridges and footpaths, and $7.9 million for coastal, city and urban centre revitalisation projects including upgrades at our much-loved Blackbutt Reserve.”

Other highlights of the 2022/23 budget include:

• $17.8 million for our cultural and recreational facilities including libraries, parks, aquatic centres and civic venues, with $1.5 million for the all-abilities playground at Foreshore Park and $2.3 million to upgrade the Darling Street Oval grandstand
• $8.3 million for environmental sustainability projects including $2.1 million to continue the rehabilitation of Ironbark Creek and $1.5 million for street and park trees to address urban heat island impacts
• $5.9 million on stormwater upgrades to address flooding to property and businesses
• $4 million to enhance economic development, tourism, smart city initiatives and improve customer experience
• $4.4 million for improving Newcastle’s cycleway network
• $2.1 million for community infrastructure and amenities including public toilets, community buildings and caravan parks
• $1.3 million to continue implementing actions from the Stockton Coastal Management Plan.

CEO Jeremy Bath said getting the budget back in surplus is the result of prudent financial management and the expectation that lockdowns and COVID-related restrictions on local entertainment and hospitality venues will not be repeated.

“Despite the economic challenges of the pandemic, we are continuing to build on our past financial management by returning this Budget to surplus after several years of COVID-influenced deficits.”

Mr Bath said the greatest challenge to the Budget was the spiralling cost of construction, which last year increased by 7.3% and is likely to be more than 10% this year.

“Ratepayers will be spared the full force of recent inflation with rates forecast to rise by just 2.5% if the Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal (IPART) approves our rate application,” Mr Bath said.

“For some local councils IPART has set their rate increase at just 0.7%, which can’t be described as anything other than a spectacular error that is going to cause significant financial problems for some councils.

“Despite our $132 million infrastructure spend in this budget, the average ratepayer will see their rates increase by just $40.35 next year, which given the current inflation rate, is an acceptable outcome.

“The NSW Government sets out a series of financial metrics that allow the community to understand the financial sustainability of a council. I’m proud to inform the public that City of Newcastle comfortably passes each of the six financial metrics next year and in fact ever year for the next decade.

“This means that we can continue to employ our 1300 staff, continue to fund the construction of new infrastructure projects, and continue to improve the liveability of our city, year by year, week by week, day by day.”

Councillors will consider the draft Budget at next Tuesday’s Council meeting and vote to place it on public exhibition for four weeks to allow for community feedback.