Help shape our growing city's future

What will Newcastle look like in 20-plus years’ time, with more than 35,000 additional residents and 19,500 new dwellings?

City of Newcastle is asking the community to help shape the future of our growing Local Government Area, which is projected to grow by around 25 percent to a population of 202,000 by 2040.

Newcastle Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes said the opinions and wishes of Novocastrians were essential to the City’s planning process.

“This is a unique opportunity to shape how our city evolves into the future. Newcastle has so many wonderful and unique features, so we want to make sure we maintain and enhance them as we grow,” the Lord Mayor said.
“It’s important our strategic planning allows us to make the most of the exciting opportunities for our city and to manage growth effectively in line with what our community wants to see.”

In March 2018 the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979 (EP&A Act) was amended, which introduced new requirements for councils to develop Local Strategic Planning Statements (LSPS). The Newcastle LSPS will set out the 20-year vision for the land use of our local area, the special characteristics which contribute to our local identity, shared community values, and how growth and change will be managed in the future.

The Lord Mayor said there was a focus on engaging young people, so the future of Newcastle reflected the values of tomorrow’s ratepayers.

“The LSPS community consultation period is open now and aims to speak to a broad cross-section of residents, including the City’s youth, who will be beneficiaries of the strategic planning we do now for our city in 2040,” the Lord Mayor said.

“A ‘Big Picture’ Newcastle activity sheet provides local youth with a chance to offer feedback on what they love about their City, how improvements can be made and what needs to be maintained to ensure the City of Newcastle remains an incredible place to live.”
A series of community sessions will be hosted at the TAFE NSW Tighes Hill campus, Newcastle Pride Fair, the University of Newcastle, Newcastle Library and the Olive Tree Markets.

Community members have until Wednesday, 11 September to have their say. More information about the community consultation period including an online survey can be found here.