WED 3 DEC 2014
Printed on 100% recycled paper
Turn over for your entertainment guide
PROUDLY INDEPENDENT P
Trades & Services Tra Need help at your place this weekend? p.24-28
Don’t sell our park Residents up in arms over Council plan to offload community land
25 years of rocking out
Innovative tour launched p.14
A-League 2014/15 Stubbins left frustrated by Jets p.31
AMELIA PARROTT
@amelia_parrott
S
ix parcels of community land are set to be rezoned and sold off as Newcastle City Council continues to address its infrastructure backlog. The future of the properties; Regent Street Park in New Lambton, Maclure Reserve on Mayo Street, Jesmond, Morgan Street Reserve in Merewether, Wrightson Reserve on Edith Street, Waratah, Newcastle Road Reserve in Wallsend, and New Lambton Heights Park off Lookout Road, was discussed publicly in Council for the first time last week following a “secret” workshop on their sale in September. The matter had initially been included on the agenda as a confidential item but was eventually discussed in an open session, where councillors resolved to defer the matter until next week’s Council meeting to give residents an opportunity to see the proposal. Greens councillor, Michael Osborne said many communities were making use of the land. “Not too long ago this Edith Street parcel of land come before Council to be sold and the local community was up in arms,” he said. He said the reserve was often used by staff at the nearby Calvary Mater Hospital. Cr Andrea Rufo argued that a number of the parcels of land were overgrown and not able to be used by the community and should be sold. Local residents have been maintaining a parcel
New Lambton Heights residents have rallied to save their local park of land off Lookout Road, known as New Lambton Heights Park, in partnership with Council for the past 16 years. It was only thanks to a chance sighting of a Council surveyor in the park earlier this year that residents had any idea the future of the well-used park was under threat. New Lambton Heights resident, Linda Griffiths said she supported a review of Council assets but added that if communities were using the parcels of land they should be consulted. “If Council is going to sell off these parcels of land they are required to consider the environ-
mental, economic and social impacts,” she said. “Before Council removed the picnic tables from our park, we had nurses from John Hunter Hospital coming to eat their lunch here, families from Ronald McDonald House use it, physios from the hospital bring patients here to do rehab work. “The social impacts of this proposal are huge so why wouldn’t Council have consulted with the community up front?” Funds raised from the sale of the properties would go back into improving existing Councilowned infrastructure.
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