City of Newcastle Councillors will vote next week to adopt a Newcastle Cultural Precinct Masterplan designed to preserve our cultural institutions.
But does the plan actually pack enough punch? And does it protect the city’s remaining live music venues that are constantly under threat from noise complaints?
Newcastle Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes said City of Newcastle was committed to protecting and promoting the city’s cultural heritage.
“In October 2020, the elected Council resolved to explore the creation of a formal ‘Civic Cultural Precinct’ to ensure appropriate long-term planning for the protection of the city’s cultural institutions as well as ways of enhancing and better activating the precinct,” Cr Nelmes said.
“Newcastle is already known as an innovative and creative community with a vibrant cultural history and an amazing depth of talent within its performing and visual arts sector.
“As part of this planning process, we have laid out our vision to grow our visitor economy by creating a nationally significant platform for arts, culture, festivals, and expression.
“This will ultimately deliver a diversity of experiences within a walkable footprint that will preserve the heritage of the precinct while delivering beneficial cultural, economic and tourism outcomes.”
The proposed precinct would cover an area loosely bounded by Honeysuckle, Civic, Laman Street, the former Tower Cinemas, and the edge of the Hunter Street Mall. It would also cover Newcastle’s two five-star hotels, the Kingsley and the QT.
It includes institutions and public spaces such as the Civic Theatre, City Hall, Newcastle Art Gallery, Newcastle City Library, Civic Park, Victoria Theatre, Conservatorium of Music, the University of Newcastle‘s inner city facilities and the Boat Harbour site on Wharf Road.
But are these the venues and spaces that really need this sort of protection? What about venues that have been forced to stop or limit their live entertainment due to noise complaints?
And while the master plan identifies the importance of key cultural projects such as the expansion of Newcastle Art Gallery and the refurbishment of the Victoria Theatre, will it pack as much punch as a proper entertainment precinct or the introduction of Agent Of Change laws?
Will it protect the live music scene in the same way the entertainment precinct protects Fortitude Valley’s live music venues? Will it put an end to the impact of noise complaints like Agent Of Change laws do Victoria?
Council say the plan will help unlock more than $16 million in direct and indirect benefits to the local economy each year, including almost 35,000 additional visitor nights.
So while the proposed Cultural Precinct Masterplan seems like a step in the right direction, we’ll just have to wait and see if it’s adopted and what outcomes it will actually achieve.
