East End
The long-term vision for the East End Village is to reinstate Hunter Street as a traditional high street and an attractive destination for locals and visitors, with outdoor dining and boutique retail opportunities.
Upcoming and future phases of work
Phase 4 will continue streetscape improvements on Hunter Street, from Thorn to Newcomen Street.
This phase also include Newcomen Street, from Hunter to Scott Street, and Market Street between Hunter and Keightley Street.
This phase of work is funded by $16.7 million in funding from the Australian Government's regional Partnerships and Precincts Program. The project is planned to start once funding arrangements have been finalised.
City of Newcastle issued a call for tender for much of these Phase 4 works in November 2025.
This next phase of the project includes the continuation of public domain upgrades on Hunter Street, from Thorn to Newcomen Street. It will include:
- New footpaths and roadways
- Fresh landscaping, including street trees and gardens
- Important underground infrastructure upgrades
- Continuing the two-way Hunter Street cycleway
These works will mirror those already complete or underway at the western end of Hunter Street, and will fit in seamlessly to help with our revitalisation of the East End Village.
Market Street, between Hunter Street and Keightley Street, will be transformed into a public gathering space.
A piece of public art that celebrates Newcastle's rich Indigenous history will be the centrepiece of this project.
Located importantly in the middle of the Harbour to Cathedral view corridor, this project will also improve that connection and enable future works in the area.
Newcomen Street will look and feel the same as the streetscape that is being delivered throughout Hunter Street as part of the East End Village project.
Improvements coming to Newcomen Street include:
- New footpaths and raised, shared path crossings, and new road surfaces
- New street landscaping, including street trees and gardens
- Important upgrades to underground infrastructure
- A new, two-way cycleway on the street's eastern side
This new cycleway will be a key connector in Newcastle’s cycleway network, providing a key link between the harbour shared pathway and the new Hunter Street bidirectional cycleway, coming as part of the East End Village project.
Improving Newcastle’s active transport network makes our roads safer for everyone, and reduces the risks related to cyclists riding along car traffic. It gives people the option to ride a bike to get where they need to go, and means fewer people are taking up car parks throughout the city.
Completed phases of work
The East End Public Domain Plan - Phases 1 and 2 were based on the East End Streetscape Plan, which was adopted in 2018 and covers Hunter Street Mall and adjoining streets.
An additional upgrade for streets around the Mall was approved by the elected Council in May 2020.
Phase 1 of the East End Village revitalisation project was completed in 2022, which targeted the block bound by Hunter Street, Wolfe Street, King Street and Perkins Street.
This phase of works set the standard for what was to follow in the East End Village. It delivered:
- New paving, footpaths, and road surfaces
- Fresh landscaping, gardens, and street trees
- The start of an important two-way cycleway that will link the city and the harbour
- Important underground infrastructure upgrades to future-proof our growing city
Phase 2 works were completed in February 2025 upgrading Hunter Street between Perkins and Brown Street, along with a section of Brown Street.
Upgrades included:
- New paving, footpaths, and road surfaces
- Fresh landscaping, gardens, and street trees
- Continuing the important two-way cycleway that will link the city and the harbour
- Important underground infrastructure upgrades to future-proof our growing city
This phase of work also included the relocation of the Evolution Stage One statues to their new home at Market Street Lawn, pictured below.
Phase 3 works were completed in April 2026, and improved the streetscape on Hunter Street between Thorn and Wolfe Streets, and on Wolfe Street between Scott and King Streets.
This section of work included:
- New street lighting, seating, landscaping and trees to create a greener, more welcoming city centre
- Renewed roads and wider, level footpaths on Hunter and Wolfe streets
- An extension of the Hunter Street cycleway to improve connections for bike riders
- Upgrades to underground services, including stormwater drainage and communications infrastructure
Project updates
