Part Two – post 1920s - Newcastle City Council

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for analysis in any development ideas and usually found wanting. The council planner briefed the new aldermen about the effects of the height and scale of the proposed buildings in relation to the existing cityscape, and the wind and shade effects on Civic Park. He thought a model should be prepared so that the community could understand the effects the proposal would have on the civic and cultural precinct. Public debate was called for too, but it appeared, at first, that it was too late as the negotiations with the council through the administrator had progressed too far. 95 The development, said to be the biggest since BHP steelworks set up, had been approved, with a number of conditions. 95 Newcastle Morning Herald 16 October 1986 96 Newcastle Herald 11 June 1987 Figure 43: This drawing depicts the proposed 1986 development and was published in the Newcastle Morning Herald 5 October 1986 During 1987, the Federal government confirmed that it would lease a building for a Taxation Office. Negotiations favoured the site bound by Burwood, King and Darby Streets. The council owned some of the land and the rest a private owner and the Department of Housing. Tavolan Pty Ltd ‘part of the Neeta Group of companies’ won the tender to provide the office block, which was called ‘Stage One’ of the overall plan. The value of the office block built was $30 million. 96 The contractor was Jennings Industries Limited. The project was completed in 1989. Figure 44: illustration of the 1988 proposal for the civic site development including the Taxation Office (Stage One) and Stage Two, for a hotel, shopping, and other government purposes. Concept as published in the Newcastle Morning Herald 20 November 1987 Newcastle Civic and Cultural Precinct History ~ Cynthia Hunter ~ January 2003 page 58
Stage Two was planned to be the hotel (and possibly the second office block and retail development), on the other side of Burwood Street behind the City Administration Building and incorporating ‘the façade of the Fred c Ash building’. When this became publicly known, it was apparent that the design did not meet the requirements of the building’s heritage status. Stage Two did not go ahead. It is difficult to evaluate whether economic realities, heritage issues or both were the determinants. The proposed buildings conformed to council’s height code of 45m. Some opinion thought that they were squat and bulky and occupied too much of the site. In response, Newcastle Council then engaged a Sydney architect Philip Cox to prepare an Urban Design Study for the council owned land. This study, made public in March 1988, recommended a new height code that allowed a more flexible approach such as a limited number of slim, up to 23-storey tower blocks (>90m) on the site. Council retained Philip Cox to review the second stage and Tavolan Pty Ltd also sought his expertise in revised design work. Figure 45: When Philip Cox’s recommendations were made public this is how an artist depicted a possible design for a tower on the civic site. Newcastle Herald 23 March 1988 In November 1987 Tavolan Pty Ltd made a development inquiry to council for a much larger proposal for the further development of the civic land. The new costing was about $100 million and comprised a triple cinema, another government office block, a private office block, a department store and other retail shops and a 200-bed international standard hotel. These buildings would occupy the rest of the section bounded by King, Darby and Hunter Streets and Wheeler Place and require the elimination of Burwood Street, the line of the old coal railway. Several freestanding buildings were proposed, the largest 16-storeys high (>60m). 97 This tower, conforming to Philip Cox’s recommendations and possibly designed by him in association with Tavolan, was said to have enabled some open space to be provided, as well as a satisfactory financial return to the investors. The only existing buildings 97 Newcastle Herald 12 November 1987 Newcastle Civic and Cultural Precinct History ~ Cynthia Hunter ~ January 2003 page 59
Page 1 and 2: We are building a civic monument se
Page 3 and 4: In the 1980s it became apparent tha
Page 5 and 6: 14 Civic Park - acquiring the land
Page 7 and 8: the Electric Supply Department. Chr
Page 9 and 10: 17 Civic precinct development in th
Page 11 and 12: walkway and flight of stairs links
Page 13 and 14: Figure 36: 1960s aerial view of the
Page 15 and 16: After 1957, the Cultural Centre Wom
Page 17 and 18: ooks but because they should have t
Page 19 and 20: on purchases by the director. Visit
Page 21 and 22: occasions. Just two years after the
Page 23 and 24: Reaction from the community was var
Page 25 and 26: In 1909, two of Frederick Ash’s s
Page 27 and 28: in opposing light in a lengthy deba
Page 29: financier and lessee. Many jobs wou
Page 33 and 34: (Part of the civic site is about 20
Page 35 and 36: 30 1992 Civic Prospectus In June 19
Page 37 and 38: complex was completed. A solicitor,
Page 39 and 40: 33 Acknowledgment of Sources Books:
Page 41 and 42: Black Diamond Hotel (right). Part o
Page 43: 1986 Figure 44 Illustration of the

Part Two – post 1920s - Newcastle City Council

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