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The Advertiser
3 days ago
- Politics
- The Advertiser
'Gullible council of Newcastle': Rising Tide application 'approved' under strict conditions
RISING Tide's divisive application to hold its 2025 People's Blockade on council-owned land in November has been handed 'in-principle' approval under strict conditions. The decision on will ultimately be in the hands of City of Newcastle chief executive Jeremy Bath once further public exhibition is undertaken on the newly-proposed Foreshore Park campsite. He will not make a decision on Camp Shortland. The council approved Rising Tide's application to hold a climate concert at Camp Shortland, but its push to use Foreshore Park will need to go back to the drawing board. The council's in-principle approval is not unconditional; Rising Tide organisers will need to submit a new event application for Foreshore Park, which will go back on public exhibition for an undisclosed period of time. The climate activist group will need to submit and maintain a valid 'Form 1' to the NSW Police covering all locations for an authorised public assembly, consistent with the event licence application. Rising Tide will also need to make a commitment that its organisers and participants will follow all "lawful" police directions. Independent Cr Peter Gittins said he is an "old-school" type of person and if Rising Tide goes against its word, he would see it as a "fundamental breach of integrity". "I wish and hope Rising Tide does not, under any circumstances, enter the shipping lanes, a commitment they gave to the lord mayor last year and broke," he said. "I implore those involved with the protest, which I have said earlier, I support, to think seriously about the economic impact, the messaging, and health and safety in our port must be at the forefront of everything that is being done." Newcastle council chambers were packed to the rafters on Tuesday night, spilling out the doors, as about 100 Rising Tide members anxiously awaited a decision. Labor councillors Declan Clausen and Peta Winney-Baartz did not debate the application, having declared conflicts of interest in the matter and excusing themselves from the chamber. The climate activist group threw a spanner in the works with a last-minute proposal to move the protest campsite from Hamilton North's Richardson Park back to Foreshore Park, where it was held in 2024. City of Newcastle took Camp Shortland and Richardson Park to the public and received more than 1850 submissions, of which 86 per cent backed the event. Members of the community did not have the opportunity to make submissions on Foreshore Park. The 11th-hour change raised questions about whether approving a new location without further public exhibition would breach the Local Government Act. Greens councillor Charlotte McCabe said the decision was a "defining moment" for the elected council to demonstrate its position on the right to protest and its commitment to "ensuring a safe climate future". Cr McCabe said those against the event "demanded" councillors consider the actions of a small percentage of Rising Tide protestors, despite arrests being the responsibility of NSW Police. Despite what she called "public pressure" from the premier and state government to refuse the application, Cr McCabe said there will be members of the community who feel compelled to participate in non-violent civil disobedience and would be "rightly enraged" if the application were shot down. "If our priority is safety for everyone, event attendees, community members, residents and police officers, then it is our duty to ensure that a coordinated event with clear expectations and clear lines of open communication takes place," she said. "If we reject this application, we risk an occurrence where potentially thousands of people will arrive in our city who are angry ... they will find somewhere to set up in our city, on our community land, without any of the agreements that we currently have in place for this licence application." On Monday, Liberal deputy lord mayor Callum Pull, a vocal critic of the blockade, said an approval of the event licence without further exhibition would not be compliant with the requirements of the Act. He reiterated those thoughts at Tuesday night's meeting. "Lord mayor, as we well know, you were branded the gullible mayor of Newcastle after making a single undertaking just last year," Cr Pull said. "If this event succeeds, and the event is approved, and en masse arrests occur for a third time in a row, the council will rightfully be branded the gullible council of Newcastle." Cr Pull said the council as a whole would wear any reputational impacts, and pushed for the council to deny both event licences, arguing, "the buck stops with us". According to the Act, a proposal must be notified and exhibited publicly if a council proposes to grant a lease or license, including on the council's website and on the land the proposal relates to. An internal City of Newcastle email to councillors said the council did not approve the event licence in line with legislation in 2024. The email to councillors said failure to follow the legislation would not automatically invalidate any resolution of the council. Independent lord mayor Ross Kerridge found himself in hot water with his fellow councillors when he used his delegated powers to approve the 2024 event application. Cr Kerridge defended his decision at the time, saying he came into the situation late in the piece, having been elected just two months before the event. The extraordinary meeting marks the first time in recent history that councillors have determined an event authorisation. In January 2025, Cr Kerridge asked City of Newcastle chief executive Jeremy Bath to bring the decision to the elected council. According to a report to councillors, the event attracted about 3000 attendees in 2023 and about 5000 in 2024. RISING Tide's divisive application to hold its 2025 People's Blockade on council-owned land in November has been handed 'in-principle' approval under strict conditions. The decision on will ultimately be in the hands of City of Newcastle chief executive Jeremy Bath once further public exhibition is undertaken on the newly-proposed Foreshore Park campsite. He will not make a decision on Camp Shortland. The council approved Rising Tide's application to hold a climate concert at Camp Shortland, but its push to use Foreshore Park will need to go back to the drawing board. The council's in-principle approval is not unconditional; Rising Tide organisers will need to submit a new event application for Foreshore Park, which will go back on public exhibition for an undisclosed period of time. The climate activist group will need to submit and maintain a valid 'Form 1' to the NSW Police covering all locations for an authorised public assembly, consistent with the event licence application. Rising Tide will also need to make a commitment that its organisers and participants will follow all "lawful" police directions. Independent Cr Peter Gittins said he is an "old-school" type of person and if Rising Tide goes against its word, he would see it as a "fundamental breach of integrity". "I wish and hope Rising Tide does not, under any circumstances, enter the shipping lanes, a commitment they gave to the lord mayor last year and broke," he said. "I implore those involved with the protest, which I have said earlier, I support, to think seriously about the economic impact, the messaging, and health and safety in our port must be at the forefront of everything that is being done." Newcastle council chambers were packed to the rafters on Tuesday night, spilling out the doors, as about 100 Rising Tide members anxiously awaited a decision. Labor councillors Declan Clausen and Peta Winney-Baartz did not debate the application, having declared conflicts of interest in the matter and excusing themselves from the chamber. The climate activist group threw a spanner in the works with a last-minute proposal to move the protest campsite from Hamilton North's Richardson Park back to Foreshore Park, where it was held in 2024. City of Newcastle took Camp Shortland and Richardson Park to the public and received more than 1850 submissions, of which 86 per cent backed the event. Members of the community did not have the opportunity to make submissions on Foreshore Park. The 11th-hour change raised questions about whether approving a new location without further public exhibition would breach the Local Government Act. Greens councillor Charlotte McCabe said the decision was a "defining moment" for the elected council to demonstrate its position on the right to protest and its commitment to "ensuring a safe climate future". Cr McCabe said those against the event "demanded" councillors consider the actions of a small percentage of Rising Tide protestors, despite arrests being the responsibility of NSW Police. Despite what she called "public pressure" from the premier and state government to refuse the application, Cr McCabe said there will be members of the community who feel compelled to participate in non-violent civil disobedience and would be "rightly enraged" if the application were shot down. "If our priority is safety for everyone, event attendees, community members, residents and police officers, then it is our duty to ensure that a coordinated event with clear expectations and clear lines of open communication takes place," she said. "If we reject this application, we risk an occurrence where potentially thousands of people will arrive in our city who are angry ... they will find somewhere to set up in our city, on our community land, without any of the agreements that we currently have in place for this licence application." On Monday, Liberal deputy lord mayor Callum Pull, a vocal critic of the blockade, said an approval of the event licence without further exhibition would not be compliant with the requirements of the Act. He reiterated those thoughts at Tuesday night's meeting. "Lord mayor, as we well know, you were branded the gullible mayor of Newcastle after making a single undertaking just last year," Cr Pull said. "If this event succeeds, and the event is approved, and en masse arrests occur for a third time in a row, the council will rightfully be branded the gullible council of Newcastle." Cr Pull said the council as a whole would wear any reputational impacts, and pushed for the council to deny both event licences, arguing, "the buck stops with us". According to the Act, a proposal must be notified and exhibited publicly if a council proposes to grant a lease or license, including on the council's website and on the land the proposal relates to. An internal City of Newcastle email to councillors said the council did not approve the event licence in line with legislation in 2024. The email to councillors said failure to follow the legislation would not automatically invalidate any resolution of the council. Independent lord mayor Ross Kerridge found himself in hot water with his fellow councillors when he used his delegated powers to approve the 2024 event application. Cr Kerridge defended his decision at the time, saying he came into the situation late in the piece, having been elected just two months before the event. The extraordinary meeting marks the first time in recent history that councillors have determined an event authorisation. In January 2025, Cr Kerridge asked City of Newcastle chief executive Jeremy Bath to bring the decision to the elected council. According to a report to councillors, the event attracted about 3000 attendees in 2023 and about 5000 in 2024. RISING Tide's divisive application to hold its 2025 People's Blockade on council-owned land in November has been handed 'in-principle' approval under strict conditions. The decision on will ultimately be in the hands of City of Newcastle chief executive Jeremy Bath once further public exhibition is undertaken on the newly-proposed Foreshore Park campsite. He will not make a decision on Camp Shortland. The council approved Rising Tide's application to hold a climate concert at Camp Shortland, but its push to use Foreshore Park will need to go back to the drawing board. The council's in-principle approval is not unconditional; Rising Tide organisers will need to submit a new event application for Foreshore Park, which will go back on public exhibition for an undisclosed period of time. The climate activist group will need to submit and maintain a valid 'Form 1' to the NSW Police covering all locations for an authorised public assembly, consistent with the event licence application. Rising Tide will also need to make a commitment that its organisers and participants will follow all "lawful" police directions. Independent Cr Peter Gittins said he is an "old-school" type of person and if Rising Tide goes against its word, he would see it as a "fundamental breach of integrity". "I wish and hope Rising Tide does not, under any circumstances, enter the shipping lanes, a commitment they gave to the lord mayor last year and broke," he said. "I implore those involved with the protest, which I have said earlier, I support, to think seriously about the economic impact, the messaging, and health and safety in our port must be at the forefront of everything that is being done." Newcastle council chambers were packed to the rafters on Tuesday night, spilling out the doors, as about 100 Rising Tide members anxiously awaited a decision. Labor councillors Declan Clausen and Peta Winney-Baartz did not debate the application, having declared conflicts of interest in the matter and excusing themselves from the chamber. The climate activist group threw a spanner in the works with a last-minute proposal to move the protest campsite from Hamilton North's Richardson Park back to Foreshore Park, where it was held in 2024. City of Newcastle took Camp Shortland and Richardson Park to the public and received more than 1850 submissions, of which 86 per cent backed the event. Members of the community did not have the opportunity to make submissions on Foreshore Park. The 11th-hour change raised questions about whether approving a new location without further public exhibition would breach the Local Government Act. Greens councillor Charlotte McCabe said the decision was a "defining moment" for the elected council to demonstrate its position on the right to protest and its commitment to "ensuring a safe climate future". Cr McCabe said those against the event "demanded" councillors consider the actions of a small percentage of Rising Tide protestors, despite arrests being the responsibility of NSW Police. Despite what she called "public pressure" from the premier and state government to refuse the application, Cr McCabe said there will be members of the community who feel compelled to participate in non-violent civil disobedience and would be "rightly enraged" if the application were shot down. "If our priority is safety for everyone, event attendees, community members, residents and police officers, then it is our duty to ensure that a coordinated event with clear expectations and clear lines of open communication takes place," she said. "If we reject this application, we risk an occurrence where potentially thousands of people will arrive in our city who are angry ... they will find somewhere to set up in our city, on our community land, without any of the agreements that we currently have in place for this licence application." On Monday, Liberal deputy lord mayor Callum Pull, a vocal critic of the blockade, said an approval of the event licence without further exhibition would not be compliant with the requirements of the Act. He reiterated those thoughts at Tuesday night's meeting. "Lord mayor, as we well know, you were branded the gullible mayor of Newcastle after making a single undertaking just last year," Cr Pull said. "If this event succeeds, and the event is approved, and en masse arrests occur for a third time in a row, the council will rightfully be branded the gullible council of Newcastle." Cr Pull said the council as a whole would wear any reputational impacts, and pushed for the council to deny both event licences, arguing, "the buck stops with us". According to the Act, a proposal must be notified and exhibited publicly if a council proposes to grant a lease or license, including on the council's website and on the land the proposal relates to. An internal City of Newcastle email to councillors said the council did not approve the event licence in line with legislation in 2024. The email to councillors said failure to follow the legislation would not automatically invalidate any resolution of the council. Independent lord mayor Ross Kerridge found himself in hot water with his fellow councillors when he used his delegated powers to approve the 2024 event application. Cr Kerridge defended his decision at the time, saying he came into the situation late in the piece, having been elected just two months before the event. The extraordinary meeting marks the first time in recent history that councillors have determined an event authorisation. In January 2025, Cr Kerridge asked City of Newcastle chief executive Jeremy Bath to bring the decision to the elected council. According to a report to councillors, the event attracted about 3000 attendees in 2023 and about 5000 in 2024. RISING Tide's divisive application to hold its 2025 People's Blockade on council-owned land in November has been handed 'in-principle' approval under strict conditions. The decision on will ultimately be in the hands of City of Newcastle chief executive Jeremy Bath once further public exhibition is undertaken on the newly-proposed Foreshore Park campsite. He will not make a decision on Camp Shortland. The council approved Rising Tide's application to hold a climate concert at Camp Shortland, but its push to use Foreshore Park will need to go back to the drawing board. The council's in-principle approval is not unconditional; Rising Tide organisers will need to submit a new event application for Foreshore Park, which will go back on public exhibition for an undisclosed period of time. The climate activist group will need to submit and maintain a valid 'Form 1' to the NSW Police covering all locations for an authorised public assembly, consistent with the event licence application. Rising Tide will also need to make a commitment that its organisers and participants will follow all "lawful" police directions. Independent Cr Peter Gittins said he is an "old-school" type of person and if Rising Tide goes against its word, he would see it as a "fundamental breach of integrity". "I wish and hope Rising Tide does not, under any circumstances, enter the shipping lanes, a commitment they gave to the lord mayor last year and broke," he said. "I implore those involved with the protest, which I have said earlier, I support, to think seriously about the economic impact, the messaging, and health and safety in our port must be at the forefront of everything that is being done." Newcastle council chambers were packed to the rafters on Tuesday night, spilling out the doors, as about 100 Rising Tide members anxiously awaited a decision. Labor councillors Declan Clausen and Peta Winney-Baartz did not debate the application, having declared conflicts of interest in the matter and excusing themselves from the chamber. The climate activist group threw a spanner in the works with a last-minute proposal to move the protest campsite from Hamilton North's Richardson Park back to Foreshore Park, where it was held in 2024. City of Newcastle took Camp Shortland and Richardson Park to the public and received more than 1850 submissions, of which 86 per cent backed the event. Members of the community did not have the opportunity to make submissions on Foreshore Park. The 11th-hour change raised questions about whether approving a new location without further public exhibition would breach the Local Government Act. Greens councillor Charlotte McCabe said the decision was a "defining moment" for the elected council to demonstrate its position on the right to protest and its commitment to "ensuring a safe climate future". Cr McCabe said those against the event "demanded" councillors consider the actions of a small percentage of Rising Tide protestors, despite arrests being the responsibility of NSW Police. Despite what she called "public pressure" from the premier and state government to refuse the application, Cr McCabe said there will be members of the community who feel compelled to participate in non-violent civil disobedience and would be "rightly enraged" if the application were shot down. "If our priority is safety for everyone, event attendees, community members, residents and police officers, then it is our duty to ensure that a coordinated event with clear expectations and clear lines of open communication takes place," she said. "If we reject this application, we risk an occurrence where potentially thousands of people will arrive in our city who are angry ... they will find somewhere to set up in our city, on our community land, without any of the agreements that we currently have in place for this licence application." On Monday, Liberal deputy lord mayor Callum Pull, a vocal critic of the blockade, said an approval of the event licence without further exhibition would not be compliant with the requirements of the Act. He reiterated those thoughts at Tuesday night's meeting. "Lord mayor, as we well know, you were branded the gullible mayor of Newcastle after making a single undertaking just last year," Cr Pull said. "If this event succeeds, and the event is approved, and en masse arrests occur for a third time in a row, the council will rightfully be branded the gullible council of Newcastle." Cr Pull said the council as a whole would wear any reputational impacts, and pushed for the council to deny both event licences, arguing, "the buck stops with us". According to the Act, a proposal must be notified and exhibited publicly if a council proposes to grant a lease or license, including on the council's website and on the land the proposal relates to. An internal City of Newcastle email to councillors said the council did not approve the event licence in line with legislation in 2024. The email to councillors said failure to follow the legislation would not automatically invalidate any resolution of the council. Independent lord mayor Ross Kerridge found himself in hot water with his fellow councillors when he used his delegated powers to approve the 2024 event application. Cr Kerridge defended his decision at the time, saying he came into the situation late in the piece, having been elected just two months before the event. The extraordinary meeting marks the first time in recent history that councillors have determined an event authorisation. In January 2025, Cr Kerridge asked City of Newcastle chief executive Jeremy Bath to bring the decision to the elected council. According to a report to councillors, the event attracted about 3000 attendees in 2023 and about 5000 in 2024.
The Advertiser
25-07-2025
- Business
- The Advertiser
Hunter Street Mall makeover: parking limits slashed, markets scrapped
MARKET stall holders will get the boot and parking will be limited to one hour in part of the Hunter Street Mall as Newcastle council works to bolster local businesses. The state of the mall came under the microscope at a council meeting this week after residents raised concerns with graffiti, lighting, road signage and disability access earlier this year. Independent councillor Peter Gittins said a number of those issues had been addressed, but graffiti was still a big problem. "The point that I would like to stress, and stress strongly, is the graffiti plague that is absolutely and totally evident in this city," he said. "Not only in the area between Newcomen and Thorne streets, but along Hunter Street in particular." Business Improvement Associations have funding available for beautification, and the City of Newcastle has undertaken public domain works as part of its East End Village project, aimed at reinstating Hunter Street as a traditional high street. The original motion to the council suggested working with businesses to remove graffiti or install public art; reviewing parking arrangements in the mall to support an additional 30-minute unpaid parking period, and asking council staff to scope a time-bound CCTV trial to address antisocial behaviour. What was approved largely acknowledged the work already under way. The council has been reviewing CBD parking since July 2024. A City of Newcastle spokesman confirmed that two-hour paid parking between Brown and Wolfe streets will drop to a one-hour limit. "This will ensure parking spaces turn over more regularly to support local businesses during planned construction works on the East End Village project," he said. In 2009, the council signed a contract with Sydney-based Chourlartons Australia, trading as Organic Food Markets, to operate markets in the mall. Initially designed to complement brick-and-mortar traders, the contract has continued on a month-to-month basis since 2017 and has recently dwindled to just two regular stallholders. Now, the council said they are operating in "direct competition" with nearby businesses. "The Newcastle Business Improvement Association wrote to City of Newcastle in 2023, indicating they do not support the continuation of the markets, as they have had a negative impact on the trade of the existing established businesses," a council spokesman said. With the next stages of the East End Village works looming, the space used by stallholders will no longer be available. The council spokesman said the market operator and stallholders were told about the changes in 2023, and the council is now preparing to issue a formal notice. The council has committed $6.5 million to renewal works in the precinct in its 2025-26 budget, including new footpaths, tree planting, road resurfacing and stormwater and water infrastructure replacements. Stage 5 of the East End Public Domain Plan has been funded for detailed design. Labor councillor Declan Clausen said he is optimistic about the changes coming to the mall. "At the moment, there is a billion dollars worth of private capital currently being invested into the mall, and it is creating a better environment than what was there previously," he said. "But it is disruptive, that's fair to say, and it has had an impact on some of the existing traders in the mall, as well as a result of the vacancies that have been necessary as demolition and construction work have continued." Cr Clausen said the process has been a "little clunky" but praised the businesses that have kept trading. "What I fear as a council is that when we talk negatively ... or point out some of these issues, the consequence of that is that it could turn away people and customers that would otherwise wish to visit that precinct," he said. Future changes to Hunter Street will include upgrades on Laing Street, Market Street and the potential for a Melbourne lane-way style development by closing Keightley Street to traffic. MARKET stall holders will get the boot and parking will be limited to one hour in part of the Hunter Street Mall as Newcastle council works to bolster local businesses. The state of the mall came under the microscope at a council meeting this week after residents raised concerns with graffiti, lighting, road signage and disability access earlier this year. Independent councillor Peter Gittins said a number of those issues had been addressed, but graffiti was still a big problem. "The point that I would like to stress, and stress strongly, is the graffiti plague that is absolutely and totally evident in this city," he said. "Not only in the area between Newcomen and Thorne streets, but along Hunter Street in particular." Business Improvement Associations have funding available for beautification, and the City of Newcastle has undertaken public domain works as part of its East End Village project, aimed at reinstating Hunter Street as a traditional high street. The original motion to the council suggested working with businesses to remove graffiti or install public art; reviewing parking arrangements in the mall to support an additional 30-minute unpaid parking period, and asking council staff to scope a time-bound CCTV trial to address antisocial behaviour. What was approved largely acknowledged the work already under way. The council has been reviewing CBD parking since July 2024. A City of Newcastle spokesman confirmed that two-hour paid parking between Brown and Wolfe streets will drop to a one-hour limit. "This will ensure parking spaces turn over more regularly to support local businesses during planned construction works on the East End Village project," he said. In 2009, the council signed a contract with Sydney-based Chourlartons Australia, trading as Organic Food Markets, to operate markets in the mall. Initially designed to complement brick-and-mortar traders, the contract has continued on a month-to-month basis since 2017 and has recently dwindled to just two regular stallholders. Now, the council said they are operating in "direct competition" with nearby businesses. "The Newcastle Business Improvement Association wrote to City of Newcastle in 2023, indicating they do not support the continuation of the markets, as they have had a negative impact on the trade of the existing established businesses," a council spokesman said. With the next stages of the East End Village works looming, the space used by stallholders will no longer be available. The council spokesman said the market operator and stallholders were told about the changes in 2023, and the council is now preparing to issue a formal notice. The council has committed $6.5 million to renewal works in the precinct in its 2025-26 budget, including new footpaths, tree planting, road resurfacing and stormwater and water infrastructure replacements. Stage 5 of the East End Public Domain Plan has been funded for detailed design. Labor councillor Declan Clausen said he is optimistic about the changes coming to the mall. "At the moment, there is a billion dollars worth of private capital currently being invested into the mall, and it is creating a better environment than what was there previously," he said. "But it is disruptive, that's fair to say, and it has had an impact on some of the existing traders in the mall, as well as a result of the vacancies that have been necessary as demolition and construction work have continued." Cr Clausen said the process has been a "little clunky" but praised the businesses that have kept trading. "What I fear as a council is that when we talk negatively ... or point out some of these issues, the consequence of that is that it could turn away people and customers that would otherwise wish to visit that precinct," he said. Future changes to Hunter Street will include upgrades on Laing Street, Market Street and the potential for a Melbourne lane-way style development by closing Keightley Street to traffic. MARKET stall holders will get the boot and parking will be limited to one hour in part of the Hunter Street Mall as Newcastle council works to bolster local businesses. The state of the mall came under the microscope at a council meeting this week after residents raised concerns with graffiti, lighting, road signage and disability access earlier this year. Independent councillor Peter Gittins said a number of those issues had been addressed, but graffiti was still a big problem. "The point that I would like to stress, and stress strongly, is the graffiti plague that is absolutely and totally evident in this city," he said. "Not only in the area between Newcomen and Thorne streets, but along Hunter Street in particular." Business Improvement Associations have funding available for beautification, and the City of Newcastle has undertaken public domain works as part of its East End Village project, aimed at reinstating Hunter Street as a traditional high street. The original motion to the council suggested working with businesses to remove graffiti or install public art; reviewing parking arrangements in the mall to support an additional 30-minute unpaid parking period, and asking council staff to scope a time-bound CCTV trial to address antisocial behaviour. What was approved largely acknowledged the work already under way. The council has been reviewing CBD parking since July 2024. A City of Newcastle spokesman confirmed that two-hour paid parking between Brown and Wolfe streets will drop to a one-hour limit. "This will ensure parking spaces turn over more regularly to support local businesses during planned construction works on the East End Village project," he said. In 2009, the council signed a contract with Sydney-based Chourlartons Australia, trading as Organic Food Markets, to operate markets in the mall. Initially designed to complement brick-and-mortar traders, the contract has continued on a month-to-month basis since 2017 and has recently dwindled to just two regular stallholders. Now, the council said they are operating in "direct competition" with nearby businesses. "The Newcastle Business Improvement Association wrote to City of Newcastle in 2023, indicating they do not support the continuation of the markets, as they have had a negative impact on the trade of the existing established businesses," a council spokesman said. With the next stages of the East End Village works looming, the space used by stallholders will no longer be available. The council spokesman said the market operator and stallholders were told about the changes in 2023, and the council is now preparing to issue a formal notice. The council has committed $6.5 million to renewal works in the precinct in its 2025-26 budget, including new footpaths, tree planting, road resurfacing and stormwater and water infrastructure replacements. Stage 5 of the East End Public Domain Plan has been funded for detailed design. Labor councillor Declan Clausen said he is optimistic about the changes coming to the mall. "At the moment, there is a billion dollars worth of private capital currently being invested into the mall, and it is creating a better environment than what was there previously," he said. "But it is disruptive, that's fair to say, and it has had an impact on some of the existing traders in the mall, as well as a result of the vacancies that have been necessary as demolition and construction work have continued." Cr Clausen said the process has been a "little clunky" but praised the businesses that have kept trading. "What I fear as a council is that when we talk negatively ... or point out some of these issues, the consequence of that is that it could turn away people and customers that would otherwise wish to visit that precinct," he said. Future changes to Hunter Street will include upgrades on Laing Street, Market Street and the potential for a Melbourne lane-way style development by closing Keightley Street to traffic. MARKET stall holders will get the boot and parking will be limited to one hour in part of the Hunter Street Mall as Newcastle council works to bolster local businesses. The state of the mall came under the microscope at a council meeting this week after residents raised concerns with graffiti, lighting, road signage and disability access earlier this year. Independent councillor Peter Gittins said a number of those issues had been addressed, but graffiti was still a big problem. "The point that I would like to stress, and stress strongly, is the graffiti plague that is absolutely and totally evident in this city," he said. "Not only in the area between Newcomen and Thorne streets, but along Hunter Street in particular." Business Improvement Associations have funding available for beautification, and the City of Newcastle has undertaken public domain works as part of its East End Village project, aimed at reinstating Hunter Street as a traditional high street. The original motion to the council suggested working with businesses to remove graffiti or install public art; reviewing parking arrangements in the mall to support an additional 30-minute unpaid parking period, and asking council staff to scope a time-bound CCTV trial to address antisocial behaviour. What was approved largely acknowledged the work already under way. The council has been reviewing CBD parking since July 2024. A City of Newcastle spokesman confirmed that two-hour paid parking between Brown and Wolfe streets will drop to a one-hour limit. "This will ensure parking spaces turn over more regularly to support local businesses during planned construction works on the East End Village project," he said. In 2009, the council signed a contract with Sydney-based Chourlartons Australia, trading as Organic Food Markets, to operate markets in the mall. Initially designed to complement brick-and-mortar traders, the contract has continued on a month-to-month basis since 2017 and has recently dwindled to just two regular stallholders. Now, the council said they are operating in "direct competition" with nearby businesses. "The Newcastle Business Improvement Association wrote to City of Newcastle in 2023, indicating they do not support the continuation of the markets, as they have had a negative impact on the trade of the existing established businesses," a council spokesman said. With the next stages of the East End Village works looming, the space used by stallholders will no longer be available. The council spokesman said the market operator and stallholders were told about the changes in 2023, and the council is now preparing to issue a formal notice. The council has committed $6.5 million to renewal works in the precinct in its 2025-26 budget, including new footpaths, tree planting, road resurfacing and stormwater and water infrastructure replacements. Stage 5 of the East End Public Domain Plan has been funded for detailed design. Labor councillor Declan Clausen said he is optimistic about the changes coming to the mall. "At the moment, there is a billion dollars worth of private capital currently being invested into the mall, and it is creating a better environment than what was there previously," he said. "But it is disruptive, that's fair to say, and it has had an impact on some of the existing traders in the mall, as well as a result of the vacancies that have been necessary as demolition and construction work have continued." Cr Clausen said the process has been a "little clunky" but praised the businesses that have kept trading. "What I fear as a council is that when we talk negatively ... or point out some of these issues, the consequence of that is that it could turn away people and customers that would otherwise wish to visit that precinct," he said. Future changes to Hunter Street will include upgrades on Laing Street, Market Street and the potential for a Melbourne lane-way style development by closing Keightley Street to traffic.
Telegraph
21-06-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
Don't blame the police – it's woke politicians who have given up on fighting crime
SIR – Commentators are far too quick to abuse the police for prioritising certain crimes above others ('Faith in the police', Letters, June 15). We must stop this, as at the sharp end of policing we have constables obeying orders from their seniors. Who controls senior police officers? The politicians we voted for. Twelve months ago they were Conservatives; now they're Labour. They are all tarred with the same woke brush. Our constables are treated with derision because they are the face of policing. Shame on our politicians. Peter Gittins Stirling SIR – Many senior police officers, often over-promoted because they hold degrees, have turned policing on its head with their politically correct pursuit of social-media offences. In 1979, my first shift sergeant told me that, if you allow a man to go unpunished for stealing something as small as a Mars bar, it won't be long before he returns to empty the shop. He held similar views on graffiti and anti-social behaviour. I challenge senior officers to run a six-month experiment: flood the streets with officers out of their cars, arresting anyone who commits an arrestable offence, no matter how minor, and see how quickly such behaviour subsides. This would be especially effective if the Crown Prosecution Service were to back up the police with court action, as it did after the recent riots. Tim Davies Lampeter, Cardiganshire SIR – As a resident of Bournemouth, I want to see more officers of the calibre of Lorne Castle on our streets, willing to take action against troublemakers and make our town safe. Yet this officer was dismissed for gross misconduct after tackling a masked 15-year-old suspect to the ground and holding him down while telling him to 'stop screaming like a b----' (report, June 20). With crimes going unsolved and unpunished, it is fair to say that faith in policing in Dorset is nonexistent. Mr Castle was sacked because his actions had supposedly undermined public confidence in the police. However, it is quite apparent to me that the opposite is true: in sacking him, the misconduct panel has damaged public confidence. Can we therefore expect its members to be removed? Barry Gray Bournemouth, Dorset SIR – Daniel Hannan deplores the state of public areas in Britain, along with growing threats to personal safety ('Britain is turning into a Third World country', Comment, June 15). In smaller communities, where councillors care little for grandstanding, public life goes on as it should. In Norwich, the Covid-era habits of guerrilla gardening, after-hours litter-picking and police liaison have endured, and are being adopted more widely. 'Friends' groups who take care of provincial railway stations across the UK are pioneers in this area. What was a default task for underemployed railway platform staff has been taken up by community activists. Thomas Carr Norwich A shift in British values SIR – As I approach my 75th birthday, I reflect on how values have changed over my lifetime. Respect for our elders was drummed into us during my youth. Today, we have a Government that is willing to take winter fuel support away from pensioners, and tax inheritance that would otherwise go to heirs. To cap it all, it now seems likely that we will have to navigate the intricacies of assisted dying ('Assisted dying Bill set to become law', report, June 20). It will be quite a job to ensure that there is no coercion, no fear of 'doing the right thing' to avoid being a burden, and that the professionals are driven by the right motives. A viewing of the cult film Soylent Green might help us understand the kind of dystopian future towards which we seem to be headed. Tony Wolfe Penrith, Cumbria Lebanon's liberation SIR – Those Lebanese dancing under missiles fired at Israel (report, June 18) ought rather to cheer the Israeli planes heading for Iran. After decades of death, destruction and economic collapse, can they still not see the enormous damage that Iran, via Hezbollah, has inflicted on their once peaceful land? What have they gained from being a centerpiece of Iran's 'axis of resistance' against Israel? Israel and Lebanon once peacefully coexisted. It was even jocularly noted that if any Arab country first made peace with Israel, Lebanon would be the second to do so. Hezbollah was the reason that Lebanon had no president for two years; Israel's loosening of its tight grip on the state is what finally broke the impasse in the legislature. In violation of UN-brokered agreements, Hezbollah militarised south Lebanon below the Litani River. The day after Hamas's October 7 massacre of innocent Israeli civilians, Hezbollah initiated daily rocket fire into northern Israel, leading to massive destruction and the flight of tens of thousands of residents. Subsequent fighting has yielded yet more destruction and depopulation on the Lebanese side of the border. With Hezbollah and its patron, Iran, weakened, Lebanon has a real opportunity to free itself from their malignant yoke. Should it succeed in doing so, Israelis would be among the first to dance and cheer, welcoming a renewal of friendship. Richard D Wilkins Syracuse, New York, United States The logic of Sizewell C SIR – Research suggests that Sizewell C nuclear power station (Letters, June 20) will cost approximately £12.5 million per megawatt to build. The Rolls-Royce small modular reactor (SMR) units are estimated to cost less than £5 million per megawatt. Sizewell C is unlikely to be commissioned before the mid-2030s, allowing for the usual delays. Overall build time for the SMR units is estimated to be four years, including testing and commissioning. Given that the small reactors are less than half the price and can be built twice as quickly, why are we bothering with Sizewell C? Ian Brent-Smith Bicester, Oxfordshire SIR – I was interested to read your report (June 18) about Westinghouse wanting to site a large nuclear power station at Wylfa on Anglesey. The Nuclear Industry Association keeps repeating the mantra that Wylfa is the best site in the UK for a large nuclear station. Unfortunately, it is forgetting about the grid constraints that give Ed Miliband, the Energy Secretary, headaches elsewhere. As the National Energy Systems Operator has said, the grid in North Wales will be near capacity by 2030, and a new line of pylons will have two national parks and an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty to negotiate before fighting through the Midlands to southern England. The south-east of England will be deficient in renewables, so to minimise total system cost, that would be the best place to site a new station. Dr Jonathan F Dean Campaign for the Protection of Rural Wales Llannerch-y-medd, Anglesey Training nurses SIR – In the 1980s, I taught at a girls' secondary school in Sittingbourne, Kent. Following a good basic education, at 16 many of our pupils went on to become nurses at local hospitals (Letters, June 15). When the university degree requirement was announced, the careers adviser – a lady of considerable experience – said: 'That's the end of the British nurse. Many of our girls do not want to aspire to degrees. We will lose a huge number of competent, caring health professionals.' Why have successive governments ignored this crisis? Ministers should work towards providing high-class, on-the-job training for those who have already proved themselves capable of following their chosen career. Jeannette Meyers Ashford, Kent Fallen Angel SIR – In a prime spot in Lavenham – England's best-preserved medieval village – stands the 600-year-old Angel Hotel. It has been a public house since 1420. For want of a tenant, this once convivial meeting place now stands empty, neglected and forlorn. When I came to live in Lavenham 35 years ago, the Angel was thriving and profitable. With the right management, it could quickly regain its former popularity and become a magnet for tourists from all over the world. As for the locals, we would flock back to a well-run village pub. David Brown Lavenham, Suffolk Lunches box SIR – My sister and I started school in 1950. For lunch (Letters, June 15) we took a bread and dripping sandwich in a greaseproof bag with our names on. The teacher took these offerings from us on arrival and put them in a box with all the others. There were no fridges then. They were given out to the appropriate child at lunchtime. Jan Denbury Bradford-on-Avon, Wiltshire Lads and ladies SIR – It appears that using the term lads in the workplace when there are females present could count as sexual harassment (report, June 12). Further, a recent complainant may be entitled to compensation. With this in mind, I will contact all the bars and restaurants that my wife and I have visited in recent years and demand redress for sexual harassment. Phrases such as 'Hello guys', 'Is everything OK with you, guys?', or 'Would you guys like to see the dessert menu?' surely fall into the same category. I wonder if I can find a sympathetic judge. Vic Storey Dereham, Norfolk When offices ran on ink and blotting paper SIR – With reference to Vivien Womersley's letter (June 15) on inkwells in school desks, I had to refill them and change blotting paper at the bank after I left school aged 16. The manager used red ink, and my hands ended up covered. Veronica Lown Staines-upon-Thames, Surrey SIR – I was gratified to read Vivien Womersley's recollection that the typical ink monitor from her school days was 'a trusted, steady-handed classmate'. My own appointment as ink monitor at a Hornchurch primary school in 1955 gave me useful experience in the responsible allocation of resources. However, I then went into academic life, where I fear I wasted much ink. Shanacoole, Co Cork, Ireland
The Advertiser
17-06-2025
- Politics
- The Advertiser
City's most popular pool excluded as council tests the waters with $2 entry trial
IT'S the most popular watering hole in the city, but Lambton pool will be excluded from a $2 entry trial next season. While some councillors wanted to dive in the deep end with all five pools, a majority chose to test the waters at Beresfield, Mayfield, Stockton and Wallsend before taking the plunge. Lambton pool will not be included in the 2025/26 trial due to "operational and safety risks", given the already high visitation numbers each season, but will be considered for inclusion in future. Councillors also approved a free entry trial at all pools on Australia Day, but not before wading through murky waters during an almost one-hour debate on Tuesday night. Independent Cr Mark Brooker said he was disappointed Lambton pool would not be included in the trial, given 75 per cent of people who took part in community consultation said they intended to take advantage of $2 entry there. "We're delivering for only one quarter of the people who went to the trouble of engaging with us, we're only delivering for 41 per cent of pool users across the swim season that has just concluded," he said. "I don't for a moment want to risk the safety of the public, not for one moment, but I believe there are ways we could make it work." Fellow independent Cr Peter Gittins said he could not support a motion that, whether true or not, creates a perception of a "two-class society" that is both "inequitable and unfair". Lambton pool accounted for almost 60 per cent of 430,000 visitors to the city's five swimming pools last season. Its entry fee will remain at $6. According to the council, including Lambton in the trial would increase costs by an estimated $1 million each year and result in a $700,000 budget deficit. Labor Cr Elizabeth Adamczyk said Cr Gittins' suggestion excluding Lambton pool from the trial would create a two-class society was "insulting". "We have to make a choice about where our money goes within the parameters that we work in," she said. "What we have before us tonight is ... a sensible middle ground that's found a pathway forward to ensure we are actually delivering on our commitment to our communities, to create equitable, inclusive, connected and healthy communities that will have a real impact in material terms in people's lives." Greens Cr Charlotte McCabe made a move for Lambton pool to be included, but council meeting procedure meant it could only be voted on if the original motion excluding it was lost. Independent lord mayor Ross Kerridge also tried to have Lambton pool included in the original motion, but Labor Cr Declan Clausen argued it was a "direct negative" of the proposal he put forward, so it could not be included. "I would like to see Lambton included in this trial, but we do have a responsibility as a group of councillors not just to listen to what we see, but also to consider the expert advice that we are given," Cr Clausen said. "What we are voting on tonight is a targeted, financially responsible and community-backed initiative to trial $2 pool entry at four of our inland pools. It's not the end of the conversation; it's just the beginning. Cr Clausen said councillors could either vote for a "meaningful improvement" to pool access or hold out for the perfect solution that may never arrive. "I ask each of you not to make the perfect the enemy of the good," he said. The trial is expected to cost the council $900,000 in 2025/26 and a further $200,000 in enhanced security at all pools. According to the council, the trial will increase the annual spend on pools to $4 million. City of Newcastle chief executive Jeremy Bath has the power to terminate the trial before the end of the 2026 summer swim season, but only if "significant risks" eventuate that cannot be "sufficiently controlled". IT'S the most popular watering hole in the city, but Lambton pool will be excluded from a $2 entry trial next season. While some councillors wanted to dive in the deep end with all five pools, a majority chose to test the waters at Beresfield, Mayfield, Stockton and Wallsend before taking the plunge. Lambton pool will not be included in the 2025/26 trial due to "operational and safety risks", given the already high visitation numbers each season, but will be considered for inclusion in future. Councillors also approved a free entry trial at all pools on Australia Day, but not before wading through murky waters during an almost one-hour debate on Tuesday night. Independent Cr Mark Brooker said he was disappointed Lambton pool would not be included in the trial, given 75 per cent of people who took part in community consultation said they intended to take advantage of $2 entry there. "We're delivering for only one quarter of the people who went to the trouble of engaging with us, we're only delivering for 41 per cent of pool users across the swim season that has just concluded," he said. "I don't for a moment want to risk the safety of the public, not for one moment, but I believe there are ways we could make it work." Fellow independent Cr Peter Gittins said he could not support a motion that, whether true or not, creates a perception of a "two-class society" that is both "inequitable and unfair". Lambton pool accounted for almost 60 per cent of 430,000 visitors to the city's five swimming pools last season. Its entry fee will remain at $6. According to the council, including Lambton in the trial would increase costs by an estimated $1 million each year and result in a $700,000 budget deficit. Labor Cr Elizabeth Adamczyk said Cr Gittins' suggestion excluding Lambton pool from the trial would create a two-class society was "insulting". "We have to make a choice about where our money goes within the parameters that we work in," she said. "What we have before us tonight is ... a sensible middle ground that's found a pathway forward to ensure we are actually delivering on our commitment to our communities, to create equitable, inclusive, connected and healthy communities that will have a real impact in material terms in people's lives." Greens Cr Charlotte McCabe made a move for Lambton pool to be included, but council meeting procedure meant it could only be voted on if the original motion excluding it was lost. Independent lord mayor Ross Kerridge also tried to have Lambton pool included in the original motion, but Labor Cr Declan Clausen argued it was a "direct negative" of the proposal he put forward, so it could not be included. "I would like to see Lambton included in this trial, but we do have a responsibility as a group of councillors not just to listen to what we see, but also to consider the expert advice that we are given," Cr Clausen said. "What we are voting on tonight is a targeted, financially responsible and community-backed initiative to trial $2 pool entry at four of our inland pools. It's not the end of the conversation; it's just the beginning. Cr Clausen said councillors could either vote for a "meaningful improvement" to pool access or hold out for the perfect solution that may never arrive. "I ask each of you not to make the perfect the enemy of the good," he said. The trial is expected to cost the council $900,000 in 2025/26 and a further $200,000 in enhanced security at all pools. According to the council, the trial will increase the annual spend on pools to $4 million. City of Newcastle chief executive Jeremy Bath has the power to terminate the trial before the end of the 2026 summer swim season, but only if "significant risks" eventuate that cannot be "sufficiently controlled". IT'S the most popular watering hole in the city, but Lambton pool will be excluded from a $2 entry trial next season. While some councillors wanted to dive in the deep end with all five pools, a majority chose to test the waters at Beresfield, Mayfield, Stockton and Wallsend before taking the plunge. Lambton pool will not be included in the 2025/26 trial due to "operational and safety risks", given the already high visitation numbers each season, but will be considered for inclusion in future. Councillors also approved a free entry trial at all pools on Australia Day, but not before wading through murky waters during an almost one-hour debate on Tuesday night. Independent Cr Mark Brooker said he was disappointed Lambton pool would not be included in the trial, given 75 per cent of people who took part in community consultation said they intended to take advantage of $2 entry there. "We're delivering for only one quarter of the people who went to the trouble of engaging with us, we're only delivering for 41 per cent of pool users across the swim season that has just concluded," he said. "I don't for a moment want to risk the safety of the public, not for one moment, but I believe there are ways we could make it work." Fellow independent Cr Peter Gittins said he could not support a motion that, whether true or not, creates a perception of a "two-class society" that is both "inequitable and unfair". Lambton pool accounted for almost 60 per cent of 430,000 visitors to the city's five swimming pools last season. Its entry fee will remain at $6. According to the council, including Lambton in the trial would increase costs by an estimated $1 million each year and result in a $700,000 budget deficit. Labor Cr Elizabeth Adamczyk said Cr Gittins' suggestion excluding Lambton pool from the trial would create a two-class society was "insulting". "We have to make a choice about where our money goes within the parameters that we work in," she said. "What we have before us tonight is ... a sensible middle ground that's found a pathway forward to ensure we are actually delivering on our commitment to our communities, to create equitable, inclusive, connected and healthy communities that will have a real impact in material terms in people's lives." Greens Cr Charlotte McCabe made a move for Lambton pool to be included, but council meeting procedure meant it could only be voted on if the original motion excluding it was lost. Independent lord mayor Ross Kerridge also tried to have Lambton pool included in the original motion, but Labor Cr Declan Clausen argued it was a "direct negative" of the proposal he put forward, so it could not be included. "I would like to see Lambton included in this trial, but we do have a responsibility as a group of councillors not just to listen to what we see, but also to consider the expert advice that we are given," Cr Clausen said. "What we are voting on tonight is a targeted, financially responsible and community-backed initiative to trial $2 pool entry at four of our inland pools. It's not the end of the conversation; it's just the beginning. Cr Clausen said councillors could either vote for a "meaningful improvement" to pool access or hold out for the perfect solution that may never arrive. "I ask each of you not to make the perfect the enemy of the good," he said. The trial is expected to cost the council $900,000 in 2025/26 and a further $200,000 in enhanced security at all pools. According to the council, the trial will increase the annual spend on pools to $4 million. City of Newcastle chief executive Jeremy Bath has the power to terminate the trial before the end of the 2026 summer swim season, but only if "significant risks" eventuate that cannot be "sufficiently controlled". IT'S the most popular watering hole in the city, but Lambton pool will be excluded from a $2 entry trial next season. While some councillors wanted to dive in the deep end with all five pools, a majority chose to test the waters at Beresfield, Mayfield, Stockton and Wallsend before taking the plunge. Lambton pool will not be included in the 2025/26 trial due to "operational and safety risks", given the already high visitation numbers each season, but will be considered for inclusion in future. Councillors also approved a free entry trial at all pools on Australia Day, but not before wading through murky waters during an almost one-hour debate on Tuesday night. Independent Cr Mark Brooker said he was disappointed Lambton pool would not be included in the trial, given 75 per cent of people who took part in community consultation said they intended to take advantage of $2 entry there. "We're delivering for only one quarter of the people who went to the trouble of engaging with us, we're only delivering for 41 per cent of pool users across the swim season that has just concluded," he said. "I don't for a moment want to risk the safety of the public, not for one moment, but I believe there are ways we could make it work." Fellow independent Cr Peter Gittins said he could not support a motion that, whether true or not, creates a perception of a "two-class society" that is both "inequitable and unfair". Lambton pool accounted for almost 60 per cent of 430,000 visitors to the city's five swimming pools last season. Its entry fee will remain at $6. According to the council, including Lambton in the trial would increase costs by an estimated $1 million each year and result in a $700,000 budget deficit. Labor Cr Elizabeth Adamczyk said Cr Gittins' suggestion excluding Lambton pool from the trial would create a two-class society was "insulting". "We have to make a choice about where our money goes within the parameters that we work in," she said. "What we have before us tonight is ... a sensible middle ground that's found a pathway forward to ensure we are actually delivering on our commitment to our communities, to create equitable, inclusive, connected and healthy communities that will have a real impact in material terms in people's lives." Greens Cr Charlotte McCabe made a move for Lambton pool to be included, but council meeting procedure meant it could only be voted on if the original motion excluding it was lost. Independent lord mayor Ross Kerridge also tried to have Lambton pool included in the original motion, but Labor Cr Declan Clausen argued it was a "direct negative" of the proposal he put forward, so it could not be included. "I would like to see Lambton included in this trial, but we do have a responsibility as a group of councillors not just to listen to what we see, but also to consider the expert advice that we are given," Cr Clausen said. "What we are voting on tonight is a targeted, financially responsible and community-backed initiative to trial $2 pool entry at four of our inland pools. It's not the end of the conversation; it's just the beginning. Cr Clausen said councillors could either vote for a "meaningful improvement" to pool access or hold out for the perfect solution that may never arrive. "I ask each of you not to make the perfect the enemy of the good," he said. The trial is expected to cost the council $900,000 in 2025/26 and a further $200,000 in enhanced security at all pools. According to the council, the trial will increase the annual spend on pools to $4 million. City of Newcastle chief executive Jeremy Bath has the power to terminate the trial before the end of the 2026 summer swim season, but only if "significant risks" eventuate that cannot be "sufficiently controlled".
