Newcastle's waterfront in 1981
Photo: Denton Corker and Marshall/Bruce Echberg.
Newcastle Foreshore in Hindsight
Linda Corkery AAILA
originally published Landscape Australia 3/89
`THE FORESHORE development is the best thing that ever happened to Newcastle.'
This is the predominant sentiment expressed when you speak with people in Newcastle. Clearly, in the eyes of many 'Novocastrians', as they like to be called, the Foreshore development has 'turn(ed) the face of Newcastle once again to the waters of the Hunter River and beyond,'1 and ushered in a new era of civic pride and optimism about the future.
Now, almost eight years since the City's Foreshore design competition was held, the first stages of the development have been completed. In May 1988, Queen Elizabeth II officially opened Queens Wharf, and since then the locals and tourists alike have been flocking to the waterfront by the thousands.
Having had time to become ensconced in the Newcastle scene, it is appropriate now to look at the Foreshore in a sort of post-development review. How was the Foreshore project implemented and how well is it living up to the goals set for it?
When the results of the Newcastle Foreshore Landscape and Urban Design Competition were reported in the February 1982 issue of Landscape Australia, the magazine heralded it as `a benchmark for landscape architecture in Australia.'2 Newcastle City Council was applauded for its vision in recognizing the opportunities of this prime site. Comments by the Lord Mayor, Mrs Joy Cummings, in the foreword to the design competition brief signalled an understanding of the significance of the project:
Few cities in the world would have the opportunity to put forward such a scheme, but ... we still have the opportunity to develop what I see as the most exciting development for Newcastle in this century'3
It was equally significant that the competition had been won by a group of landscape architects, competing in a field dominated by architects. Tract Consultants' winning design drew praise from the competition assessors for its simplicity,straightforwardness and robust character.4
It was evocative of Newcastle's industrial/maritime past, while creating a dynamic contemporary urban setting. Having won the competition, Tract was understandably eager to move into the design development and documentation of their scheme. But it was not until 1983 that they were appointed principal design consultants for the project, and work finally began on refinement of the master plan.
The major elements of Tract's proposed scheme included the Queens Wharf; an overhead pedestrian link from the CBD terminating in a tower with a stair access to deck level; a major public square between the Customs House and the waterfront; and a tree-lined promenade along the waterfront. Estimated cost for the works at the time was $11-12 million.
The Master Plan drawing for the Newcastle Foreshore
as submitted in Tract Consultants' competition entry, October 1981
>> click on image for much larger version <<
A Bicentennial Project
Newcastle Council declared the Foreshore development a Bicentennial project, which gave them a target for completion and a basis for seeking funding assistance. They were successful in getting $3 million from the New South Wales Government and that amount was matched by the Commonwealth Government.
Council took the further initiative of assuming the roles of project manager and general contractor for the implementation of the development. A Foreshore Committee comprising aldermen and Council officers was formed to act as the decision-making body for the project.
As Mr Bob Heather, project engineer, explained, the development was going to require close liaison with a number of State Government bodies, including the State Railway Authority, Electricity Commission, Maritime Services Board, Public Works Department and public utilities.
'It made sense to draw on Council's in-house expertise and contacts with these organisations to keep the project progressing,' he said.
Council undertook most of the early stages of the work which involved earthworks and road construction. The streetscape components, such as tree grates, seating, rubbish bins, and lighting standards were specially fabricated for Council. Plant materials came from Council's nursery.
In the final analysis, according to Bob Heather, about 30 percent of the work was done by Council and about 70 percent by outside contractors. Contracts were let for specialised works, such as the concrete structures and irrigation systems, and for consulting services, such as geotechnical and structural engineers and architects for Queens Wharf.
The Queens Wharf feature constituted the major portion of the development let to outside contractors. Construction of the wharf itself and the buildings on it was done by Hughes Brothers, now part of the Abigroup.
Originally, it was intended that Queens Wharf would be privately developed. But in the absence of an adequate private enterprise response, Council persisted, in spite of much public criticism, and developed it themselves. Council agreed with Tract that this element was critical to the success of the scheme.
What was then an unpopular position has now been largely vindicated, with Queens Wharf being the drawcard the original scheme forecast it would be. And as might be expected, numerous private developments are now being mooted for other waterfront locations.
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