Demolition of the 59-year-old King Street car park will soon commence making way for a grand view corridor, linking the Newcastle Harbour to Christ Church Cathedral.
A structural assessment of the seven-storey car park was conducted in March 2020 and subsequently closed due to public safety concerns.
City of Newcastle Director of Governance David Clarke said efforts were being made to minimise disruption to nearby businesses and residents during the process.
“During demolition, there will be increased noise from machinery and frequent truck movements in and around the work zone. Demolition vehicle access will be via King Street, into Thorn and Laing Streets. Vehicle access to Laing Street will be maintained for most of the project duration with some road closures during strategic works,” Clarke said.
“Pedestrian access around the site will be maintained with temporary fencing in place to ensure community safety. Environmental monitoring and controls to manage dust, noise and vibration will be undertaken by the site contractor.
“With work now underway, it’s exciting to see a first glimpse of the stunning view corridor that brings to life a long-held strategic vision of City of Newcastle and the NSW Government to connect the city to the harbour by opening up the lines of sight.”
The vision proposes to link Christ Church Cathedral to the Harbour via a grand staircase.
“Preserving the view corridor between the harbour and the Cathedral has the full support of The Property Council and Urban Design Review Panel, to turn a long-held concept into a landmark public space for the city,” Clarke said.
City of Newcastle said accessibility for the community was a key consideration ensuring that everyone could share and enjoy the proposed space.
Another consideration for the project was retaining 380 public car parking spaces for the community to utilise.
The demolition and subsequent works are scheduled to be completed by late January 2022.
For more information, visit the City of Newcastle’s website.
Information source: Media release, City of Newcastle