3 March 2021

Chief Executive Officer

City of Newcastle

mail@ncc.nsw.gov.au

Attention Timothy Daley

Re: Harbour Foreshore Masterplan Concept Engagement

My wife and I have lived in the Cohen Bond Store Apartments at 28 Stevenson Place
Newcastle East for 26 years and our location on the 2nd level of the building has afforded us
a somewhat unique opportunity to observe and be involved with many of the activities and
happenings on the Foreshore Park.

We attended the session on Saturday 13 February 2021 and discussed numerous aspects of
the proposed plans with Council officers and made several “post it” notations on the
displayed plans. We offer this submission as additional constructive input from active
residents who will be greatly impacted by any changes in the park. We are keen that the
changes are widely viewed as being positive.

There are 8 main issues that we see as requiring serious consideration in the overall design
to mitigate the adverse impacts on those residents adjacent to the park and to provide
effective, enhanced, desirable and useable facilities for the wider community.

They are summarised as:-

1. Establish an enhanced view corridor from Newcastle Beach, Telford St, across
the Park to the Harbour
2. Move the location of the proposed Variety Playground to north of the Customs
House -Rail Shed axis path (or Preferably to the Shortland Lawn - Horseshoe
Beach area)
3. Delete the proposed café/toilet block near the Telford St. and retain and
enhance the existing toilets north of the Rail Shed
4. Retain the existing community garden and connect the proposed Shoreline path
with the existing bushland stair access from Shepherds Place

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 5. Develop the area south of the Rail Shed and North of the Cohen Bond Store
Apartments as a passive play area with dispersed picnic areas with shaded
tables.
6. Provide more deciduous shade trees throughout the park with localised seating
and/or tables
7. Remove the slip lane road at the Tugboat Berth Lane and provide grassed
picnic areas.
8. Provide a Supercars Impact Plan.

We provide the following explanations and support for the suggestions above.

1. Establish an enhanced view corridor from Newcastle Beach, Telford St, across the
Park to the Harbour.

The East End has several notable view corridors that enhance the connectivity of the
city’s key features of beach and harbour. E.g. Harbour to Christ Church Cathedral and
King St to Newcastle Beach. The connection of Newcastle beach to the harbour may be
no more dynamically displayed than along the Telford St corridor down the Memorial
Steps and beyond to the Harbour Tugboat Berth and Stockton Beach. A corridor of
suitable shade trees and defined pathway (possibly incorporating part of the main circular
access path) will provide a stunning vista from the steps to the harbour. Future suitable
plantings in Telford St will further emphasize the connection between the beach and
harbour with a direct connectivity to the final tram stop.

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 .

Figure 1- View Corridor from Telford St Stairs across the park to the Harbour and Stockton Breakwater

Figure 2 View Corridor from Telford St to Newcastle Beach

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2. Move the location of the proposed Variety Playground to north of the Customs
House -Carriage Shed axis path (or alternatively in the general area of the existing
Playground)

The proposed area for the playground is entirely unsuitable due to the proximity to
residential areas in Bond St, Telford St and Stevenson Place. The lack of parking in this
area and adverse noise impacts on residents, many of whom are elderly, provides
compelling reasons for the play space to be located further North. The Speers Point
playground for example, is located hundreds of metres from residences no doubt due to
the recognition that this type of high use playground should not be sited close to
residential premises.

It would seem that the ideal location within the Foreshore Park would be generally in the
location of the existing Playground, adjacent to the proposed shade grove and in close
proximity to the existing toilet block and a café to the North of the Rail Shed. This would
provide a more central location where there is the maximum number of car parks.

3. Delete the proposed café/toilet block near Telford St. and retain and enhance the
existing toilets north of the Rail Shed

The deceptively small circle drawn on the plan to represent proposed café/ toilet block at
the base of the Jean Perret stairs only serves to try to misrepresent what would likely be
a very substantial structure to accommodate male / female toilets, disabled toilets,
parents room café storage, café food prep area, café shaded dining area, café open air
dining and café rubbish bins/ cleaning compound.

The proximity of this to the Cohen Bond Store Apartments is totally inappropriate and the
location does not take advantage of the prime harbour ambience that may be offered at
many other locations to the North.

As long-standing residents, we have witnessed many anti-social incidents, vandalism acts

and the excessive noise generated at the existing toilet block on the North side of the Rail
Shed and it would be unreasonable of Council to propose and expect that residents
should have a similar, and likely larger, building within 20 metres of their main living and
bed rooms which directly front the park.

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 The existing toilet block to the North of the Rail Shed is very convenient to the many
people that use the Rail Shed picnic area and this may be enhanced to accommodate
parents change rooms etc. if the maintenance lunch room and office were relocated to a
more suitable area. The establishment of a café to the North of the existing toilet block
would be in a very centralised location within the park and would provide a more
amenable harbour outlook for the café patrons without any adverse impacts on residents.

4. Retain the existing community garden and connect the proposed Cultural Heritage
Walk with the existing bushland stair access from Shepherds Place.

The existing community garden, on the East of the Carriage Shed, has been developed
over 14 years to become a haven with mature plantings and productive herb and
vegetable beds. To suggest that this can be further enhanced with more plantings south
of the carriage shed under-estimates the continual work that community volunteers
provide to maintain the existing garden. It would be unrealistic to think that a community
garden of perhaps twice the size could be successfully maintained by the community and
it would be naive to think that such a garden would be satisfactorily maintained by Council
staff given the ever-reducing budget allowances for park maintenance.

There is an additional section of existing community garden on the corner of Stevenson

Place and Shepherds Place and the connectivity of this area of the garden to the
Foreshore would be enhanced if the existing natural stone stairway is formally connected
to the Cultural Heritage Walk. This access route is regularly used by local residents.

5. Develop the area South of the Rail Shed and North of the Cohen Bond Store
Apartments as a passive play area with dispersed picnic areas with shaded tables.
The rolling hilly mounds South of the Rail Shed are utilized very regularly by families and
groups in the Rail Shed as the safe play area for organised games and free play.

Given that a full community garden could not be sustained in this area it may be usefully
enhanced by retaining the undulating form and incorporating small localised level areas
for, say, 6 or 8 tables scattered around the North, West and East perimeters with each
area having specimen tree shade cover. This would provide year-round functionality for
picnickers with the ability to be shaded in summer and have filtered sun in winter. Being
in close proximity to the Rail Shed it would give some variety the restrictive structured
layout of the tables within the Rail Shed.

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 Retain the open grassed hillocks for free play and games with the free form Cultural
Heritage Walk providing a connective path around the area.

Please note that the two lower level apartments in the Cohen Bond Store can only be
accessed via the Council approved access across the park. There is no other access
within the building, hence it is imperative that suitable access across the park is
maintained. The proposed Cultural Heritage Walk may serve this purpose.

Figure 3 – Games on the park South of the Rail Shed on Saturday 20 February 2021

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Figure 4 - Typical Play Activity on Grass Mounds South of Rail Shed

6. Provide more deciduous shade trees throughout the park with localised seating
and/or tables
In spite of the expressed desires of the majority of respondents who in earlier consultation
requested more shade throughout the park, too much emphasis has been placed on the
provision of Event space to the detriment of the overall design. There are two large existing
event areas, at the Amphitheatre and Shortland Lawn near Horseshoe Beach, that can be
used for major events with limited impact on East End residents. The proposed “Event
Space” North of the Rail Shed would be better utilized if it were transformed to incorporate
part of the major playground supplemented with a series of mini play/ picnic areas
surrounded by a mixture of evergreen and deciduous trees.

7. Remove the slip lane road at the Tugboat Berth Lane and provide grassed picnic
areas.
The proposed changes to the current under-utilized tugboat berth lane will greatly enhance
this part of the Foreshore and provide a welcome change from the harsh concrete path that
borders much of the harbour. Grassed areas immediately abutting the water will be popular,
particularly if there are some low canopy shade trees between some of the Norfolk Island
pines and some additional seating.

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A very important consideration is however to separate the cyclists from the walkers and
picnickers and hence there may need to be some variation to the width of the road in this
area to accommodate this necessary feature. Whilst some may argue that this area should
be reopened for car parking, we believe the proposed grassed park and suitable cycle path
will prove to be a much better outcome.

8. Provide a Supercars Impact Plan.

The overall masterplan should not be compromised by the short-term limitations imposed by
the Supercars major event.
The community will be forever suspicious of the real value of the Masterplan unless there is
an overlay plan presented to show how this event will be integrated with the proposed
Masterplan. Without this overlay there can be no confidence that the Masterplan will be
implemented without it being unduly compromised to meet the Supercars demands.
The Supercars event impacts this park for 2 months of the year. In 2019 the Supercars
fences within the park were erected on 13 October 2019 and the portable buildings and
fencing were not finally removed until 13 December 2019.
It is unrealistic and unconscionable for Council to consider that a Masterplan has been
developed if it does not show, for the benefit of all stakeholders (Community, Councilors,
Council Staff, Supercars Management, Supercars Contractors, Emergency Services) what
changes are proposed for the 1/6 of the year that Supercars takes over large sections of the
park.
This Supercars Impact Plan should not be viewed, or utilized, as a tool to stop the park
development but as a tool to demonstrate how the development may proceed whilst
recognising whatever short term or longer-term restrictions may need to be accommodated
in order to achieve the end goal of a cohesive well considered park layout.

My wife and I welcome this opportunity to input to the design of an area that we love and
which has a daily impact upon our lives. We are impressed by the current constant use of the
Rail Shed by the Aged Care and Disability Organizations and also the number of children
and adult’s birthday parties, weddings, etc. that regularly take place.

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We look forward to our suggestions being incorporated in the next iteration of the Masterplan
and ask that you contact us should you desire any further clarification on the points raised.

Regards

Grahame & Kay Charge