Submissions about Newcastle City Council’s draft Design Framework on Laman Street and the Civic Precinct are due on 28th February 2011. This post lists some questions worth considering. (more…)
Posts Tagged ‘charette’
Your submission on the Design Framework for Laman St and Civic Park 21.2.2011
February 21, 2011Wheeler Place 26.1.2011
January 26, 2011
What is it about Wheeler Place that’s so disappointing? (more…)
Before and after shots 24.1.2011
January 24, 2011
Presumably we have Energy Australia to thank for the latest bit of barbarism in the CBD. Sorry – that makes it sound like barbarism is common; it isn’t. (more…)
Last night’s celebration 19.12.2010
December 19, 2010
Had a lovely gathering under our beautiful fig trees last night to celebrate a successful campaign. (more…)
The National Trust’s view – from Keith Parsons
August 26, 2010
The National Trust of Australia has a strong and long interest in the Laman Street avenue of Hill’s fig trees. We were the first conservation body to publicly recognise their significance in 1981, when we added them as a heritage item to the National Trust Register. Why, almost 30 years later are they still not listed in the heritage schedule of Council’s Newcastle Environmental Plan?
The process of public consultation, with the 2 charettes to which selected community members were invited, has been good, but they would be more aptly described as charades or a sham, if the plan put to Council last Tuesday is not subject to a period of public exhibition, so that everyone has the right to comment. It would constitute in our view, an abuse of due process.
The proposal to replace the trees with a single line of figs will probably create a canopy effect, but not the iconic, cathedral roof effect (already sadly and permanently lost in Tyrell Street) which the community wants retained and which is heritage significant. This can only be achieved with a row on both sides of the street. The single line proposal contravenes Council’s Heritage Policy, seemingly to achieve short-term and short-sighted savings.
We suggest Council considers Sydney City Council’s strategy to replace their much-loved central avenue of Hill’s Figs in Hyde Park using a sensitive, staggered process over about 4 years, rather than in one fell swoop. Council has received professional advice that the Laman St trees, with varying projected life-spans, need not be replaced at the same time and certainly not immediately.
The Trust requests (and we believe the community supports) a guarantee that there will not be an early morning demolition raid. We call on genuinely heritage –supportive councillors to propose a rescission motion to allow for a period of public comment.
Some of us with long memories still remember the dawn raid on the Moreton Bay fig trees in Birdwood Park in 1973, with protesters chaining themselves to trees in front of bulldozers.
Keith Parsons.
Chair, Hunter Regional Committee
Fig Jam meeting 24.8.2010
August 24, 2010
This is a picture of the danger council saved us from after the Pasha Bulker storm in 2007. (more…)
Laman Street comes back to council again 15.8.2010
August 15, 2010
Council will be discussing the Laman Street figs yet again this Tuesday, 6th (quel eejit) 17th August at 6pm. Advisers to elected councillors have very efficiently eliminated eight of the ten tree management options they came up with a couple of weeks ago and left us with two. Thankyou for the presentation that wasted all our time in early August and which made our eyes glaze over. (more…)
Do my emails end up in the spam folder?
July 24, 2010
Today’s paper had an article about the fate of the Laman Street figs coming back to council (to which I can’t find a link at present – sorry).
Branding – and remember this is not about Right Tree, Right Place
June 19, 2010
I have a friend who’s a journalist and he said to me once that to have a story ‘branded’ is a rare and enviable thing so we’re fortunate in Newcastle. (more…)
Day one of a long weekend
June 13, 2010
Don’t you love Google Earth? (more…)
