An abridged version of the following post was puiblished in the Newcastle Herald (page 9) on 1 July 2009 under the heading "Community use best future for post office".
At the 2008 Local Government elections, I advocated as a candidate, Newcastle Greens policy to call on the State Government to acquire the former Newcastle Post Office and transfer it (with sufficient refurbishment funding) to either the University (who had expressed an interest in the building before their financial crisis) or Newcastle Historic Reserve Trust (NHRT), who manage the adjacent Lock Up cultural centre in the former 1860s-90s police station complex. I believe these options still represent the best future for the building. No doubt Greens Cr Michael Osborne will pursue this policy.
Either The university, as part of their planned expansion into the inner-city; or the Lock Up would make excellent new owners or lessees. Whether the State or Commonwealth government (perhaps jointly)funds its purchase doesn’t matter. But Council should not provide funding.
Interestingly, Cr Aaron Buman has recently called for Council to acquire the building, at an estimated cost of about $10M, which is its market value, given that it has development approval for a reception centre/pub. Add to that, there would be very considerable stabilisation and refurbishment costs.
His call was very inconsistent, given that he recently wouldn’t support the art gallery extension (about $10 M) because he believed Council can’t afford it. In addition the Buman team tried to halt the museum project because of a cost overrun of only $1.5M. Newcastle City Council can’t afford to acquire the Post Office and has no viable or strategic use for it.
Further, Cr Tate’s off-the cuff commitment (H, 30/6) to ask his financially stressed council to consider a contribution, only a few days after approving next year’s budget is unacceptable and inconsistent as well.
In the past he has been very critical of initiatives that divert from the approved budget, no matter how small.
Council has no financial obligation in this matter, but that shouldn’t prevent it from giving strong moral support on behalf of the community and to lobby for state and federal government funding for purchase and conversion to a genuine community use.
Certainly the Post Office building is not appropriate for library or art galley use, as advocated by Buman as well. The long overdue library and gallery extension should be constructed but must integrate with the existing facilities on Council- owned land behind Laman, Queen and Darby Streets.
Cr Tate claims to have always supported transfer of the Post Office to NHRT. What was his response to requests for support for a NHRT submission to the Federal Government, which requested the transfer of the building for a peppercorn rent when the Commonwealth sold it back in 2002?
The NHRT has an excellent record for management of and innovation at the Lock up (and its predecessor, the Hunter Heritage Centre). It’s a great pity that the Post Office wasn’t integrated with the Lock Up years ago. The community should seize the chance to make good that lost opportunity now.
The state of the building and inaction by successive Planning Ministers, despite its listing on the State Heritage Register since 2000, is an illustration of how heritage protection in this state is a paper tiger. It also illustrates, in my view, the alarming lack of interest in heritage issues by this State Government. They have stood by while the building is demolished by neglect.
Developer Shaun Ngu’s financial problems at last provide us with an opportunity to give Newcastle Post Office the kind of sympathetic future use that should be demanded for this much loved heritage icon. It should not on-sold to another speculator for a yet another CBD pub.
Let’s see some urgent commitment and action from our MPs, Jodi McKay and Sharon Grierson.
Keith Parsons.
