A vision that links Christ Church Cathedral to the Harbour via a grand staircase is one step closer to coming to life thanks to the demolition of a 59-year-old car park in Newcastle.
City of Newcastle is starting works to remove the site at 92 King Street, with demolition scheduled to be completed by late-January 2022.
A structural assessment of the seven-storey car park was conducted in March last year which resulted in its closure due to public safety concerns.
City of Newcastle director of governance David Clarke said with work now underway, every effort would be made to ensure that disruption to nearby businesses and residents was minimised during the process.
“During demolition, there will be increased noise from machinery and frequent truck movements in and around the work zone,” he said.
“Demolition vehicle access will be via King Street, into Thorn and Laing streets.
“Vehicle access to Laing Street will be maintained for most of the project duration with some road closures during strategic works.
“Pedestrian access around the site will be maintained with temporary fencing in place, to ensure community safety.”
He added that environmental monitoring and controls to manage dust, noise and vibration would also be undertaken by the site contractor.
“With work now underway, it’s exciting to see a first glimpse of the stunning view corridor that brings to life a long-held strategic vision of City of Newcastle and the NSW Government to connect the city to the harbour by opening up the lines of sight,” Mr Clarke said.
The vision proposes to link Christ Church Cathedral to the Harbour via a grand staircase.
Accessibility for the community is a key consideration to ensure everyone can share and enjoy the proposed space, in addition to retaining 380 public car parking spaces for the community to utilise.
“Preserving the view corridor between the harbour and the Cathedral has the full support of The Property Council and Urban Design Review Panel, to turn a long-held concept into a landmark public space for the city,” Mr Clarke said.
Phase one of the City’s East End revitalisation is well underway, with Hunter Street currently closed to upgrade the streetscape, stormwater infrastructure and underground communication lines.
Most of the work along Wolfe Street is complete and works have also started on Perkins Street.
It is one of the City’s four Priority Projects and phase one is on track to be completed by February 2022.
Visit newcastle.nsw.gov.au/eastend for more.
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