The city of Newcastle, with it’s port and beaches, offers a hugely attractive life-style in many ways similar to, if not better than, it’s big brother city Sydney, at a fraction of the cost. It has everything going for it, except perhaps its CBD which looks tired and a little frayed at the edges. Large department stores have withdrawn to shopping centres in the ‘burbs leaving much of the CBD empty. In an effort to fill some of these empty spaces, some years ago the “Renew Newcastle” project was set up to put local artists and their art into the derelict premises. At the moment around 30 buildings in the CBD which would otherwise be empty and decaying are being used as art spaces. The concept has proved to be so successful that it has been copied in other parts of the country, as well as overseas. The project itself has been funded by an annual grant of $200,000 from the state government. Now, it appears, that grant is at risk of not being renewed. One can only ask why?
At the end of April, this year, the state government announced the leasing of the Port of Newcastle for 98 years to Hastings Funds Management and China Merchants. “The long-term lease will deliver gross proceeds of $1.75 billion. This outstanding result means an extra $1.5 billion will be invested in much-needed NSW infrastructure, with 30 per cent to be directed toward projects in rural and regional NSW.” At the time of announcement, the Premier indicated $340 million of the proceeds of the lease will go towards “the revitalisation of the Newcastle CBD”. So, why is it not possible to continue funding the alternative use of empty spaces in the CBD and promote Newcastle as “a city of the arts” at the same time? Surely this is a no-brainer!