Dear Members of Parliament and Media Representatives, please excuse the fact that this letter is not personally addressed to you.

REF: Newcastle City Council Item -26 CCL 21/4/09- Proposed amendment to N’cle LEP 2003 with respect to 248 Hannell St Maryville.

The vote on the abovementioned matter, was passed with the questionable casting vote of Lord Mayor Tate. The outcome, the Council has since recommended to the Director General of Planning that the existing prevailing status of “urban services” be rezoned to allow for a retail market. Only though, on a temporary basis, pending the 2011 LEP. Such developments once allowed are rarely overturned at review time. It has been stated that a temporary period of 5 years is possible.

How can any right-minded person actually believe that the area will be able to cope with the stated 5,000 to 6,000 cars per day plus fleets of tourist’s coaches? Just look at the narrow lane ways and streets in the area. Just look how much trouble trucks have now entering and exiting the site. Trucks entering and leaving the site regularly take up the available two lanes. Do the sums with an 8 hour trading day that is close to 700 cars per hour per day. And with something like 60 buses a day at peak periods 8 an hour.

How can any right minded person believe that the hardship this would cause existing residents (many with young families) is right and just?

The recommended changes to the LEP involve lot 248, yet already it is being stated that the adjoining property closer to Throsby Creek (also owned by Mr Constantine) will be used for car parking. It is not a stretch to assume that Then!!!! by default (surprise, surprise) those areas will become part of the Markets.

Let it be remembered how Mr Constantine acted in the approval process for the Parklea Markets. My understanding is that the site operated in breach of LG and possibly state laws for some time all with no penalty to Mr Constantine.

It also appears Mr Constantine has plans to buy up surrounding properties. He already owns a house in Harrison St and has been seen inspecting other properties in streets which adjoin lot 248. All of these streets are very narrow and some are one way street? Is it possible Harrison Street, may become the egress from the proposed markets?

My understanding is that Hannell St is controlled by the RTA . The RTA has very strict requirements re ingress and egress from such properties . Does this proposal tick all those boxes? I believe not.

The very nature of this area means that the push for urbanisation should be unstoppable.

Increasingly city living is the lifestyle large numbers are choosing . Greater Newcastle will be far better served and the city itself brought back to life, as a consequence with the introduction of a 2011 LEP for this area which prioritises residential development.

The State government not Newcastle City Council had the foresight to develop the foreshore that is now Maryville’s demographic heart. Increasingly people have grasped this vision and started to invest in residential properties in Maryville and Islington. Some buying up warehouses etc , converting them to residential. Pouring, their hard earned dollars into capital improvements and at the same time creating a unique lifestyle for themselves and their often young families and the neighbourhood as a whole.

Just who would benefit from such markets? Mr Constantine’s “marketers” from Parklea would bring their wears and stores to Newcastle “ the professional marketers”. Very little money will go directly into the Newcastle economy. This town has an abominable history with markets anyway.

The apparent gullibility of Council to accept seemingly with child like naivety the “supposed facts” tabled by “Camp Constantine” ,is so typical of the laziness and short sightedness of this Cities past and it appears current council.

The council papers tabled for the vote state:

“There are operational issues that will need to be assessed in relation to traffic and the neighbourhood amenity”.

Just who will pay for such changes?

“The assessment concluded that the identified trade area of the markets could support the proposed markets and that there would be minimal impact on the retail hierarchy of Newcastle. It was also concluded that due to the specialised nature of the markets that they would not directly compete with any nearby retailers”

What are people just going to find additional money to spend at the markets and still spend the money they do at local retailers? What nonsense. To believe , let alone put in writing that local retailers would not be affected. The farmers markets at the Showground and the local markets run by the Vietnam Veterans in Wickham Park will be annihilated .

Look at the degraded state of the old Co-op Store building in Hunter St Newcastle which Mr Constantine owns. Why doesn’t he set something up there? There is already a considerable parking station there and is zoned for retail operations. Oh, that may be the new site for a new Wickham station and associated infrastructure??

The forthcoming 2011 LEP should be focusing on re zoning the area in question and the immediate surrounds to residential. Look ahead now. Geographically, it can be well argued this area is the heart of the city of Newcastle. As to what the existing LEP states about “maintaining” light industrial land. Successful business owners are and have been voting with their feet and $’s by moving out of such areas and setting up in the new industrial estates in the greater N’cle area.

Many Newcastle Councillors have stated they will not review the “urban services” areas in the Maryville and Islington areas in the forthcoming 2011 LEP. Why

Drive to Parklea, drive to Maitland, visit The N’cle farmers Markets, travel to the DFOs and any similar markets. The surrounding streets are packed with parked or transiting cars. In most cases parking overflows onto local streets. Increased littering is often a consequence of such ventures. Too often unsavoury characters are also attracted to such venues with car break ins and other illegalities the end result.

Presently we have an immense amount of trouble parking near our houses. In a small way this is part of the areas ambience. On weekends it is much harder to find parking. On public holidays or major holidays finding parking is akin to finding the proverbial needle in a haystack.

The proposed site does not have enough parking for the stated number of cars. It may if the cars parked there turned over every hour but that will not be the case. If it did have sufficient car parks the fact is that people travelling from the North will take the first available spot. Which will be on the eastern side of Hannell St and in Linwood street otherwise they will have to travel 1 kilometre before they can make a legal U turn. This would make parking for residents simply impossible.

The area has stated parking for somewhere close to 700 vehicles. Just think about that. At an estimated 600 – 700 cars per hour by “their” figures, am I expected to believe they will turn over every hour. No way. A high % of patrons will stay for hours. What is the accumulative effect of this. !!!!. Clearly the site is manifestly inadequate from a parking perspective alone

Please act now to ensure that these markets will not proceed

Chris B., Maryville