Community News

City of Newcastle team inspecting Hunter Street's hidden bridge

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SHARING IDEAS TO SHAPE THE FUTURE OF COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

City of Newcastle (CN) will bring together 100 people from all walks of life to help shape how the community's voice can best be heard to guide the city's future. Your Newcastle, Your Voice is a public workshop to be held at Wallsend Library on 15 October as an initiative to inform CN's new four-year Community Engagement Strategy.

Newcastle Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes said CN's approach to engagement was based on inclusiveness, transparency, and responsiveness, and the new strategy would build on this to ensure all Novocastrians feel a part of the Council decision-making process.

"By involving the community in shaping our community engagement strategy, CN will better understand how the community want to be engaged but also if there are barriers to participating in providing feedback that will help us adapt our approach," Cr Nelmes said.

Earlier this year, CN released its Community Strategic Plan, Newcastle 2040, which was developed based on the input of 4,500 people from a broad community representation who shared their aspirations and priorities for Newcastle.

"Whether developing key strategies like Newcastle 2040, or major projects like Newcastle Ocean Baths upgrade, we achieve better outcomes with the community actively engaging in decision-making," Cr Nelmes said.

The Your Newcastle, Your Voice community workshop will be held on Saturday, 15 October, from 10am to 1pm at Wallsend Library. The community can express their interest in participating in the workshop via City of Newcastle's website.

TRANSFORMING HUNTER STREET'S HIDDEN BRIDGE

A century-old bridge over Cottage Creek in Newcastle West is set for renewal, with City of Newcastle seeking to engage a consultant to progress the design for a replacement structure.

Hidden on Hunter Street, between Bellevue Street and Steel Street, the bridge plays a critical role in traffic movement in and out of the CBD.

"We are currently looking at options for replacing the bridge, so we can deliver a solution that is fit for purpose into the future within this busy section of Hunter Street," Ms Rigby said.

"There has been a lot of change in this area in the last decade, and as our city continues to evolve, it is important that our infrastructure continues to support this."

The early history of the bridge is unclear, with historic plans of the area showing a concrete structure was in place around the late 1880s. A tender for a detailed design consultant will be issued in the coming weeks to help develop the most suitable option for the eventual replacement of the bridge.

RACE FOR FIFA WOMEN'S WORLD CUP BASE CAMP

Newcastle's premier No. 2 Sportsground has been short-listed as a dedicated team base camp training site during the FIFA Women's World Cup in 2023. More than 30 nations will be travelling to Australia and New Zealand for the month-long tournament kicking off on 19 July through to 20 August 2023, and Newcastle's No. 2 Sportsground could become a home- away-from-home for one of the teams.

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

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

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

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

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

"Hosting a team would provide an invaluable opportunity to showcase Newcastle's broader attractions to players and their extensive support contingent whilst offering valuable flow-on effects for the city's local economy. FIFA is expected to confirm team base camps by 15 December 2022.

MAITLAND WINS HOSTING RIGHTS TO NETBALL STATE TITLES

Thousands of netballers from across New South Wales will converge on Maitland Park next June after the city won hosting rights for the 2023 Netball NSW Senior State Titles.

From Saturday, 10 June to Monday, 12 June, Maitland will host hundreds of matches across the Opens Division 1 and U17 and U15 Divisions 1 & 2. Newcastle will play host to the remaining divisions. It's the first time since 2016 that Maitland has hosted the event.

Netball in Maitland has recently undergone a significant transformation, thanks to a rejuvenation of the precinct jointly funded by the NSW Government, Maitland City Council, and Maitland Netball Association.

Worth around $3 million in total, the works saw the construction of a brand new amenities facility and the resurfacing and floodlighting of the facility's 32 netball courts, which has revitalised the precinct.

"Bringing this tournament to town shows our desire as a city to bid for and attract significant national and regional events to Maitland, and I know that many of our local businesses will be looking forward to the traffic over a holiday weekend," said Mayor of Maitland, Philip Penfold.

LAKE MAC SWIM CENTRES DIVE INTO THE FUTURE

All Lake Macquarie swim centres will open year-round and host dedicated learn-to-swim pools under Council's draft Aquatics Facilities Strategy, which is now on public exhibition.

Lake Macquarie City Council Section Manager Community Assets Brendan Callander said community feedback had supported the development of the draft strategy, which aims to expand and improve Council's six aquatics facilities over the next two decades.

"We're focused on building a strong swimming community accessible to everyone at all times, supporting opportunities for social connections, recreation and exercise. Now, we're inviting the community to have their say on the draft strategy during public exhibition," Mr Callander said.

Council owns swim centres at Speers Point, Morisset, Charlestown, Toronto, West Wallsend and Swansea.

If approved, the strategy would deliver a new heated indoor learn-to-swim pool, waterplay area and car park upgrade at Swansea Swim Centre, as well as a grandstand replacement and platform lift to improve access for people with disability. The existing splash pad at Charlestown Swim Centre would be replaced with a waterplay zone and a new platform lift, while a new heated indoor learn-to-swim pool and platform lift would also be delivered at West Wallsend Swim Centre. Speers Point would host a large water play area, a new grandstand, improvements to parking and a year-round warm-water program and learn-to-swim pool.

Morisset Swim Centre would have its toddler pool replaced with a waterplay zone and a heated indoor learn-to-swim pool added alongside car park improvements.

Have your say on the draft strategy online at shape.lakemac.com.au. Submissions close on Monday, 24 October.

COMMUNITY CALENDAR

SATURDAY 8 OCTOBER Fete & Open Day at Belmont Anglican Church. From 9am to 2pm. The fete will have many items for sale, including plants, cakes and produce, pre-loved clothing and recycled bric-a-brac. There will also be children's activities, a raffle, great food, music and crafts, guided church tours and a blessing of the animals, held at 9:30am.

Nash & Dash Artisan Market at Carrington Fruit Factory. The Nash & Dash Collective market will include fashion, homewares, eco-friendly products, skincare products and more. The Market is aimed to provide exposure to show all types of small brands throughout Newcastle and the Hunter Region, and to showcase the amazing talent we have right on our doorstep. From 10am to 2pm.

THURSDAY 13 OCTOBER Belmont CWA Market Stall at Lake Macquarie Square, Mount Hutton. From 8am to 1pm. There'll be cakes, slices, jams and pickles and a variety of handmade goods on sale.

SATURDAY 15 OCTOBER Pride by Night at Speers Point Park. Newcastle & Lake Macquarie Pride are partnering with Homegrown Markets to present ‘Pride by Night’ in Speers Point Park. This family friendly fair day event will have an array of street foods that will excite your taste buds, a range of retail stalls and community information stalls. The event begins with an 80’s rainbow bike ride around the lake between 2pm and 4pm. The fair will begin at 4pm. For more information visit