Wallsend Local Centre

Background

In May 2015 Newcastle’s elected Council resolved to develop a Town Centre Master Plan for Wallsend. This became part of the Local Centres Public Domain Renewal Program, which commenced in 2016.

Under the program, Wallsend Local Centre was audited and assessed as a high priority for renewal.

The objectives of the Wallsend Local Centre Public Domain and Traffic Plan (PDP) include:

Improved safety for pedestrians, cyclists and traffic

Reduced crime and improved safety from crime

Improved connectivity, accessibility and wayfinding

Improved look and feel, as well as human comfort through provision of seating and shade

Environmental improvements such as increased tree canopy

Improved business environment.

Project scope

The proposed improvements are intended to benefit residents, businesses, property owners and users of the centre. The project will include:

Renewing aging infrastructure, including roads, footpaths, lighting and drainage.

Improving the look and feel through provision of new good quality infrastructure with integrated trees and landscaping.

Making Cowper Street a 40km/hour High Pedestrian Activity Area between Bulkara Street and Newcastle Road.

Upgrading Cowper Street, including the Kokera Street, Nelson Street and Newcastle Road intersections.

Creating safe and direct connections by providing missing sections of shared path in line with the Newcastle Cycling Strategy and Action Plan 2012.

Relocating the northbound bus stop on Bunn Street away from Merindah Childcare Centre to address problems with antisocial behaviour affecting children in the play area.

Providing free WiFi on Nelson Street.

Project status - July 2020

A flood mitigation project with measures to reduce the frequency and severity of flooding in Wallsend has been developed alongside the Wallsend Public Domain Plan. We have combined the public domain renewal project with the flood mitigation project, to form one long term vision staged for delivery over the coming years.

Further engagement with the Wallsend community will be undertaken across July and August 2020 to share information and gather ideas on how future construction stages will be designed and delivered. Visit our Engagement Hub to get involved and have your say.

Overall project status is as follows:

Stage 1: The relocation of the northbound transport stop on Bunn Street has been completed, including landscaping. The mural outside the Merindah Childcare Centre is to be completed later in 2020.

Stage 2: Tyrrell St bridge replacement works commenced in September and were completed in March 2020.

Stage 3: Detailed design for the installation of traffic lights of the intersection of Cowper and Kokera Streets is underway. This is in coordination with the design for Ironbark Creek Stage 7 Works and investigation into potential channel widening and naturalisation through the Wallsend CBD. Works are proposed to commence in the 2020/2021 financial year.

Stage 4: Detailed design of Boscawen St and Nelson St bridges will commence in the 2020/21 financial year. These works will be undertaken in coordination with the channel widening and naturalisation investigations through the Wallsend CBD.

Stage 5: Detailed design for the installation of traffic lights at the Nelson Street and Cowper Street intersection and the proposed roundabout at the intersection of Cowper St and Newcastle Road will be undertaken early in the 2020/21 financial year. Construction will then commence later that year or early 2021/22 financial year, subject to funding approval. The stage has received blackspot funding from TfNSW.

Tyrrell Street Bridge Replacement
Completed in March 2020, the $3.3 million replacement of Tyrrell Street Bridge marked the first milestone in the Ironbark Creek Flood Mitigation Plan, which proposes another two bridge replacements at Boscawen Street and Nelson Street, and Wallsend's long-term renewal.

Together, these projects will significantly improve Wallsend's resilience to floods by enabling the widening of Hunter Water's channel so that water may flow more freely during heavy rain events.

This project included demolishing the former smaller and lower structure, and constructing the new 26.6-metre-long, two-span, two-lane concrete plank road bridge.

Works also included alterations to Tyrrell Street itself adjacent to the bridge to match the raised bridge levels, replacing utilities through the bridge, and stormwater and landscaping works.

Bunn Street Bus Stop Relocation
Upgrades to Bunn Street and the relocation of the bus stop from outside Merindah Childcare Centre to outside the Wallsend Library have been completed.

The new bus stop includes a shelter and new landscaping, footpath and pedestrian crossing improvements to revitalise the area.