Tree planting, additional car parks, public art and stormwater improvements are part of a massive $6 million revamp of Council Street in Cooks Hill.
The ambitious project, which was officially completed on Friday included the planting of 8,000 street plants, 18 new trees, a fun ‘selfie’ wall mural by artist Trevor Dickinson and stormwater improvements.
Council Street has regularly experienced severe localised flooding during major storms, as it lies at a critical stormwater drainage juncture and Newcastle Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes said the upgrade will help to mitigate stormwater flooding in the local area.
“City of Newcastle has been working with local residents and businesses on this project for years given the historic flooding issues in the area and it’s fantastic to see this major $6 million upgrade complete,” Cr Nelmes said.
Improved traffic management flow has also been created by removing the roadblock on Council Street to allow one-way traffic to flow through, enhancing the functionality of the street for motorists, pedestrians and to facilitate more active modes of transport with a cycleway.
The pièce de résistance of the project is undoubtedly the interactive ‘selfie’ wall by quirky artist Trevor Dickinson.
“Trevor Dickinson’s interactive’ selfie’ mural wall wraps up the project, bringing the new space to life by injecting fun with his use of bold use of colour whilst capturing the character and charm of the area.,” Cr Nelmes said.
Three Monkeys Cafe owner Anthony Strachan said he has already begun to see the benefits of the $6 million project.
“The renewal of this area is a great thing for local businesses. The better it looks, the more people who are going to come here,” he said.
“It’s unreal to see people already enjoying the new street furniture and interacting with the street art.”
