Supercars leads to fast tracking of Newcastle public works

Newcastle City Council will undertake a comprehensive public works program in the city's east end in advance of Newcastle 500 Supercars event in November.

Councillors last night voted in favour of the work, valued at $8.8 million.

The program includes renewal of roads, footpaths and kerbs throughout the area, renewal of drainage and water mains, widening of a key footpath bottleneck along the Newcastle Foreshore and the commencement of activities highlighted in the Foreshore Plan of Management which was approved by Council in 2015 after extensive public consultation.

Newcastle Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes said each project within the works program was either overdue or had already been planned and budgeted for over the next few years.

She explained “this is a chance to fast-track scheduled infrastructure upgrades and put overdue projects in the east end of the city firmly back on the agenda.

"Completing them in a single, short timeframe means we will reduce the long-term disruption to residents and businesses. It also significantly reduces the overall cost to ratepayers."

In the lead-up to the event, roadworks will be undertaken by Supercars to ensure roads within the race precinct are in top condition. All changes to roads required by Supercars will be paid for by them.

Lord Mayor Nelmes said those roadworks presented an opportunity to complete vital council work at the same time, advisinng "shortly after Supercars approached us about the possibility of hosting a race, we realised it was more than just a fantastic opportunity to boost the local economy and showcase Newcastle to a global television audience.”

Newcastle City Council will also seek feedback from the Newcastle community about the location of the final Newcastle 500 track. Feedback will be sought on the community's preference on the final location from two options - the current location via Zaara and Scott Streets and Nobbys Road or an alternate route along Shortland Esplanade between Newcastle Ocean Baths and Nobbys Beach.

Lord Mayor Nelmes said the Newcastle community deserves the opportunity to be involved in determining the track location.

She added “last night we resolved to consult with the community on the route selection and we are seeking advice from Destination NSW and Supercars Australia about this proposal.

"We want to hear from the community and see if there is an opportunity to ameliorate potential heritage impacts and concerns of local residents."

"Our works program includes the reconstruction of Newcastle's first street, Watt Street. This work was due in 2009 but is not scheduled into the works program for another few years. It is a piece of Newcastle's history and it is fantastic to see this work scheduled for completion."

Council interim Chief Executive Frank Cordingley said that with the NSW Government coordinating the program of work and all the service providers, improvements would be expedited.

Cordingley concluded "we are able to renew roads, kerb and gutter, drainage and utilities in the precinct.

“We are working to install essential smart city infrastructure, including fibre-connected smart lighting poles that will allow for city centre wifi, public address speakers, environmental sensors and other smart city technologies."

Top image: An artist's outline of the Newcastle Supercars track (top, courtesy of Supercars) and Supercars action (below)

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