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Newcastle Herald
Newcastle Herald
National
Sage Swinton

The 'appalling' state of one of Newcastle's steepest streets

Tree roots are visible on the roadway. Picture by Jonathan Carroll
Chunks of the road have worn away. Picture by Jonathan Carroll
There are plenty of hazards in the street. Picture by Jonathan Carroll
The road surface is uneven. Picture by Jonathan Carroll
The footpath has lifted. Picture by Jonathan Carroll
The steep street is worse for wear. Picture by Jonathan Carroll

A homeowner on one of Newcastle's steepest streets says the roadway is so "appalling", truck drivers refuse to drive on the street and walking on the footpath is a trip hazard.

Anthony George owns a home on Brown Street, Newcastle, and while the street has always been hazardous due to large trees on the road, the recent rain has turned it "from bad to worse".

Chunks of the road have chipped away, large tree roots are visible on the road and footpaths have lifted.

"The state of the roads and footpaths are appalling," he said.

Mr George said he lodged a customer request two years ago, and nothing happened. He lodged another one last week due to the deterioration following the rain.

The homeowner is currently renovating the house, and said trucks will not come up the street to drop off materials for the renovation.

"For cars to park there, it's almost impossible.

"Worse than that though, the trees are causing irreparable damage," Mr George said. "We've found roots growing underneath the house.

"The trees need to come out, there's no way they could fix anything around them."

City of Newcastle said the mature trees along Brown Street have a branch structure that "accommodates an appropriate clearance of traffic lanes for vehicles".

"City of Newcastle does not support extensive pruning of mature trees to maintain clearance for large vehicles to access private properties," a council spokesperson said.

"CN acknowledges the roots of street trees may be present on private property, however CN does not intervene unless roots from public trees are negatively impacting private infrastructure."

The council said it resurfaced Brown Street between Church and Tyrrell streets in December 2023 as part of its city-wide resurfacing program.

"The site was re-inspected [on February 22], identifying necessary patching work which will be scheduled this week."

"In addition, CN will investigate the drainage system and undertake necessary works if required."

Resurfacing will be undertaken on Brown Street, from Hunter Street towards King Street, as part of the council's 2023/24 Road Resurfacing Program and in conjunction with the broader East End Village revitalisation project.

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