City of Newcastle shores up future for harbourside site

City of Newcastle is taking the next step towards a new future for Queens Wharf, with site investigations to pave the way for redevelopment of the vacant western building. 

The popular harbourside location, which includes two separate buildings, public promenade and the Transport for NSW owned ferry wharf, was constructed as a Bicentennial project and officially opened by Queen Elizabeth II in 1988 with an estimated life of 25 years. 

Thirty-six years later and the western building has been largely vacant since a fire in May 2020 rendered much of it unusable. 

Lord Mayor Ross Kerridge said the time had come to take action on the future of the site. 

"Queens Wharf has been a popular harbourside destination for decades, with its function centre in particular creating cherished memories for countless Novocastrians," Cr Kerridge said. 

"Since the fire, the site has presented a number of challenges, which Councillors have now been briefed on.

"But the time has come for City of Newcastle to meet the expectations of the community and take action on this significant harbourside site. 

"I look forward to seeing the construction of new buildings that would aim to be architecturally sensitive to enhance the waterfront in this special location.”  

CEO Jeremy Bath said City of Newcastle has been continuing to investigate solutions for the challenging site, which is built on a concrete shore platform supported by steel piling and a sea wall. 

“Councillors were taken on a tour of the site last week, receiving an insight into the complex nature of the sub-structure construction, which has required a lengthy due diligence assessment to ensure the long-term future of the site,” Mr Bath said. 

"Most people would be unaware that not only is the entire Queens Wharf site built on piers above the harbour, but so is the majority of the adjacent road. 

"As a result, we have had to confirm the structural integrity of the steel platform and sea wall. Fortunately, this work has confirmed that these assets have at least 50 years of life left in them.  

"The same cannot be said for the western building, which is no longer fit for purpose and contains areas of non-compliance with current building codes and standards, which make it unusable. 

"Given the age of the building and the nature of the repairs required, we will be demolishing the building in the early part of 2025 to make way for a new future for the site. 

"Further due diligence assessments will begin early next year, followed by an expressions of interest process to identify a potential partner for the redevelopment and lease of the building. 

"We will soon commence site assessments for the early works and approvals needed to support future redevelopment. 

"When we commence consultation with the community early next year, we will be proposing that any new development occurs in two stages and as separate buildings so that the view corridor from Stockton across the harbour and up to the Christ Church Cathedral is protected. 

"The lease for the Queens Wharf Hotel doesn’t expire until 2033 and so rather than expose ratepayers to a costly payout, the popular hotel will be allowed to continue trading for another eight years."  

City of Newcastle has on a number of occasions ruled out the option of selling any part of the site and this remains its position.