Miles Jackson at Maitland

Friends of Grossmann House present Miles Jackson, guitarist from New Zealand, on Friday 6th March, 7.30, at Brough House. Miles will present a program on the music of Spain, featuring Flamenco and Classical guitar. Cost is $25 and $20 for National Trust members and includes refreshments. Bookings are essential on 49336452 (Grossmann House) or Lynn (49320518).

Selling Newcastle Streets

NCC is exhibiting for public comment (due this Friday) a road closure plan (nothing more than a map) for the closure and sale of Morgan, Thorn and Laing Streets to GPT, and closure (up to 18 months) of King and lower end of Wolfe, with the sale of their 'stratum' to GPT. It has been kept pretty quiet The concept of closure and sale prematurely endorses the GPT development without even seeing a DA.
Newcastle City Council's CBD road closure plan poses a number of problems. The plan requires the permanent closure and sale to GPT of Thorn, Laing and Morgan Street, and the closure, for over a year, of King Street and lower Wolfe Street. The stratum below King and Wolfe Streets would be sold to GPT to enable excavation for retail and carparking space. The plan, currently exhibited on the NCC website, is not supported by any documentation such as environmental, economic, traffic and heritage assessments. The CBDs 'fine grain' intimate character will be damaged with the loss of the 1823 'market square' street grid. The closure of King Street for over a year will cause traffic access nightmares. Regardless of any arrangements made between GPT and Council, the costs and consequences of selling public land to a private developer have not been articulated. Our council owes the public an explanation.

Submissions can be sent to the General Manager, Nctle City Council, King Street Nctle by Friday the 27th Feb 2009.

CENTENARY FAIR- Bric-c-Brac, Collectables & Arts and Crafts

The National Trusts 'Friends of Miss Porter's House' are having a 'CENTENARY FAIR' on Saturday 30 May 2009, 10am to 5pm at Newcastle Grammar School-Park Campus, Cnr Union Street and Parkway Avenue, Cooks Hill.
There will be a Jewellery Valuer in site: $5 per item.
Admission is $5 FOR Adults and $4 concession.
TRADERS: The Friends of Miss Porter's House invite you to book a table or some floor space from which to sell or trade our wares.Doors open at 7.30am for setting up. Parking available.
Conditions of entry and booking form is available from Fair organiser Patti Graham on 49539034.

Nobbys-(Whibayganba)

(Image: Oil painting by John Edge 2007)

Minister for the Environment, Peter Garrett has indicated that he will exercise no further oversight of the revised plans for Nobbys Headland.
The intervention of the Commonwealth has been essential to achieve the present improved design. At some point in the future it is likely that the Commonwealth will again be involved when the National Nomination for Coal River (Mulunbinda) Precinct is considered.
The Trust believes that this revised plan should be submitted to the State Government and Newcastle City Council as a private development and not under ‘Crown privilege’ as it was previously. It is clearly not a port related activity and therefore should not be considered as such. We believe there should be a low key adaptive reuse of the site. Although the revised proposal will have lesser impact on the iconic lighthouse there will still be a significant physical impact on the headland and the adjacent Macquarie Pier with increased vehicular traffic and from water and sewage infrastructure needed to support the new use.
Now that the Newcastle Port Corporation no longer has a use for the site, we would still prefer that Nobbys should be brought under the care of the NSW National Parks Service to be managed as a historic site to ensure that heritage conservation principles can be applied that promote education, research and recreation that benefit the public.