A 10-storey Nineways apartment tower rejected by planning authorities in February could be the flavour of the month by the end of the year.
The revitalisation of the Nineways intersection and high-density living around Broadmeadow train station are key aspects of a 30-year planning strategy released last week.
The "place strategy" proposes the "Broadmeadow town centre" as the highest-density sector of the 313-hectare strategy area with buildings up to 30 storeys high.
The town centre includes the present-day Newcastle Basketball Stadium, District Park tennis centre and Police Citizens Youth Club sites as well as privately owned land on either side of the rail line as far as Blackall Street in the east and the Nineways in the south.
NSW government and City of Newcastle planners have imagined the area to be an active residential and commercial hub with fast and frequent light rail connections to Newcastle Interchange.
A concept image published with the 139-page document shows a radically changed Belford Street with a single lane of traffic in each direction, a central tram line, parking lanes and extensive tree planting.
The vision includes lines of 15-storey apartment buildings on either side of the road, lively shopfronts and a pedestrian-friendly environment.
The strategy says the Belford-Tudor street corridor "could support extension of Newcastle light rail from Wickham to Broadmeadow" but further extensions to "other strategic centres" are still being considered.
One of the key aspects of the Broadmeadow town centre plan is a "mass transport" interchange which would connect passengers to and from buses, trams, the heavy rail line and possibly high-speed rail to Sydney.
"The future interchange will prioritise simple and quick connections between different transport modes, in particular bus services," it says.
"The town centre will also see the revitalisation of Nineways intersection."
The most important goal of the plan is to provide up to 20,000 "diverse" homes, many of them in the proposed Broadmeadow town centre, which is one of nine sub-precincts in the strategy area.
"Where suitable, high-density mixed-use buildings will prevail as the dominant land use and built form typology around Broadmeadow Station, within Broadmeadow town centre," the strategy says.
"Clusters of tall buildings will landmark the town centre, capitalising on the area's high amenity and assist with legibility and way-finding within the precinct.
"Buildings up to 30 storeys will frame, anchor and solidify Broadmeadow town centre as an important and strategic centre within Newcastle."
The Newcastle Herald reported in February that the Hunter Central Coast Regional Planning Panel had rejected a development application from Thomas Hotels group to demolish the Premier Hotel at the Nineways and replace it with a 10-storey residential building.
The planned $34 million redevelopment was almost three times taller than the 11-metre height limit for the site and 45 per cent above the permitted floor space ratio.
The planning panel ruled that it was too tall for the surrounding area, but it is precisely the scale of building envisioned in the place strategy for the Nineways and other land near the station.
The panel said the hotel DA was "premature" given the site was in the Broadmeadow strategy area.
The privately owned sites that surround the Nineways will not be included in a first wave of government-led housing rezonings of Crown land in the strategy area.
But it appears as though private land owners at some point will be encouraged to approach the council with rezoning proposals to allow far more height and density on their sites.
Last week, lord mayor Nuatali Nelmes described the new planning approach to Broadmeadow as "probably a giant windfall" for land owners.
The strategy says the Nineways intersection is lacking in "walkability", tree cover and a clear connection to the station, but its ambitions for the residential neighbourhood are lofty.
"These new homes will be co-located with significant employment, retail and dining offerings and quality public realm, ensuring the day-to-day needs of visitors and residents can be met in a walkable neighbourhood," it says.
"By co-locating high-density homes, transport and services and public space, the new town centre will encourage a shift away from conventional private car dependency and towards more sustainable modes of transport, such as public and active transport.
"Increased opportunities to traverse the railway line with additional road and pedestrian connections will increase functionality."
The strategy proposes a new community centre close to the station to house the relocated PCYC and act as a gathering place.
The new "town centre" would be connected via a pedestrian-friendly boulevard to the upgraded Hunter Stadium, relocated entertainment centre, indoor aquatic centre and parkland.
"The boulevard will support night-time economy uses, creating a vibrant experience that slows people down before and after events," the plans says.
"It is intended that the Broadmeadow town centre and boulevard becomes a place to visit year round, not just when sporting and entertainment events occur."
