Newcastle council has endorsed March 10 to 12 as the dates for next year's Supercars race while voting to prepare and exhibit a consultation plan on whether to extend the event beyond 2023.
Next year's Newcastle 500 will be the final event in the council's five-race deal with Supercars dating back to 2017. Two of the races were postponed due to COVID-19.
The deal between the council, Supercars and Destination NSW includes a five-year option to extend the race's stay in Newcastle.
The Newcastle Herald reported last month that Supercars had applied to Heritage NSW to extend until 2027 its approval to stage the race on a street circuit in Newcastle East. The race's heritage approval expired in April.
News of the heritage application prompted Greens councillor John Mackenzie to move at Tuesday night's council meeting that City of Newcastle "prepare and publicly exhibit a community engagement plan in relation to the decision to extend the current Supercars 500 agreement beyond 2023".
He said the heritage application had "created a quite considerable amount of concern in the community that council has in some way endorsed or supported the extension of that contract".
He said the council had made it clear that it would consult the community before deciding whether to extend the contract.
Fellow Green Charlotte McCabe said the community had the impression "that already the wheels are being put in motion by Supercars and that we are sitting idle".
Lord mayor Nuatali Nelmes added an addendum to the motion that the council endorse March 10 to 12 as the dates for next year's event
"We as a council also have an existing resolution from last year where we actually have to support the 10th and 12th of March for that event to go ahead," she said.
She said the council had committed to "fulsome" consultation before deciding whether to sign another five-year deal, but preparing an engagement plan would be "superfluous" if any state government agencies rejected Supercars' application to race in 2023.
The council said in a media statement on Thursday that it would work with Destination NSW on a community engagement plan to start considerations on whether the race should remain.
"Any inclusion of Newcastle as a potential host city for another five years will be ... a decision of the elected council after the proposed event next mid to late 2023," Cr Nelmes said.
Cr Mackenzie voted against the revised motion endorsing next year's race dates.
The NSW Office of Sport and Destination NSW must also approve next year's race.
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