Historic connections

Historic connectionsTen years ago, the Property Council of Australia published it’s first major policy platform on the Hunter Region. One of the key initiatives put forward as critical for future investment in the city was to reorientate the CBD to the harbour.Proving that campaigns involving radical change to urban design and the delivery of new infrastructure can take time, the past month has finally seen historic new connections made in Newcastle’s CBD.Truncation of the heavy rail line occurred on Boxing Day, signalling an end to motorists waiting at one of the CBD’s level railway crossings while near empty trains rattled past. Immediately, the notorious Stewart Ave intersection was relieved of congestion and Hunter Street began flowing more smoothly.Now, the first of five temporary pedestrian crossings over the now-vacant heavy rail corridor have been opened to the public. The practical and psychological impact on the city has been significant. Novocastrians from all walks of life can be seen enjoying the freedom to move between the dominant axis of the city centre (Hunter St) and its greatest natural feature (the harbour foreshore) for the first time in over 1 years. The myth about heavy rail providing better access has been exploded with the young, the elderly, cyclists, those carrying surfboards and particularly the disabled, now having new, at-grade connections on smooth surfaces across the city. Certainly the landscaping and public domain still needs improving, but these works represent a significant victory for future generations.Perhaps most significant of all is the fact that those who live, work and visit the city can see for themselves – and experience first hand – the benefits of a more connected city.The new connections coincide with Planning Minister Pru Goward hitting back at critics and saying Newcastle had been ”fatigued by endless procrastination”.She says the government remains committed to Newcastle’s urban renewal and that their positive commitment is producing results. In a strongly worded opinion piece in the Newcastle Herald, the Minister cites Property Council research which shows more than $1billion of private-sector investment in the city since the Government announced their revitalisation plan.”The message I get from Novocastrians I speak to is: ‘Just get on with it’,” she said.