East End
The long-term vision for the East End Village is to reinstate Hunter Street as a traditional high street and an attractive destination for locals and visitors, with outdoor dining and boutique retail opportunities.
Upcoming and future phases of work
Phase 4 will continue streetscape improvements along Hunter Street, covering the section from Thorn to Newcomen Streets. This phase also include Newcomen Street, from Hunter to Scott Streets, and Market Street between Hunter and Keightley Street.
This phase of work is funded by the Australian Government's regional Partnerships and Precincts Program, from which City of Newcastle was awarded $16.7 million in funding. The project is planned to start once funding arrangements have been finalised.
City of Newcastle issued a call for tender for much of these Phase 4 works in November 2025.
This next phase of the project includes the continuation of public domain upgrades on Hunter Street, from Thorn to Newcomen Street.
It includes new footpaths, roadways, fresh landscaping, important underground infrastructure upgrades, and the continuation of the new Hunter Street cycleway.
These works will mirror those already complete or underway at the western end of Hunter Street, and will fit in seamlessly to help with our revitalisation of the East End Village.
Market Street, between Hunter Street and Keightley Street, will be transformed into a public gathering space.
A piece of public art that acknowledges and celebrates Newcastle's rich Indigenous history will be the centrepiece of this project.
Placed importantly in the middle of the Harbour to Cathedral view corridor, this project will also improve that connection and facilitate future works in the area.
The vision is for Newcomen Street to look and feel the same as the streetscape that has already been delivered around the QT Newcastle building and is coming to the remainder of the East End Village.
Improvements coming to Newcomen Street include new footpaths and raised, shared path crossings, road surfaces, street trees and landscaping, improved underground infrastructure, and a new cycleway on the street’s eastern side.
This new cycleway will be a key connector in Newcastle’s cycleway network, providing a key link between the harbour shared pathway and the new Hunter Street bidirectional cycleway, coming as part of the East End Village project.
Improving Newcastle’s active transport network makes our roads safer for everyone, gives people the option to ride a bike to get where they need to go, reduces the risks related to cyclists riding alongside car traffic, and means fewer people are taking up car parks throughout the city.
Completed phases of work
The East End Public Domain Plan - Phases 1 and 2 were based on the East End Streetscape Plan, adopted in 2018 covering Hunter Street Mall and adjoining streets, with an additional upgrade for streets around the Mall approved by the elected Council in May 2020.
Phase 1 of the East End Village revitalisation project was completed in 2022, which targeted the block bound by Hunter Street, Wolfe Street, King Street and Perkins Street.
This phase of works set the standard for what was to follow in the East End Village, delivering new paving and footpaths, road surfaces, landscaping, street trees, and the start of a bi-directional cycleway that will link the city and the harbour.
It also included upgrades to underground services to help future-proof the area as it grows.
Phase 2 works were completed in February 2025, and took in part of Brown Street, and Hunter Street between Perkins and Brown Street.
It included upgrades to the streetscape with new road surfaces, footpaths, kerb and gutter, and upgraded underground services throughout the project area.
New street trees and landscaping have helped improve the look and feel of the area. This phase of work also included the relocation of the Evolution Stage One statues to their new home at Market Street Lawn.
Phase 3 works were completed in April 2026, and improved the streetscape on Hunter Street between Thorn and Wolfe Streets, and on Wolfe Street between Scott and King Streets.
This section of work replicated what had been previously delivered throughout the first two stages, including new multi-function street lighting, upgraded street furniture, and fresh landscaping that will transform the look and feel of the area with a mix of evergreen and deciduous trees to enhance the character and biodiversity of the street.
This phase of the project also included road renewal on Wolfe and Hunter Street, new footpaths that are level and wider than before, a continuation of the growing Hunter Street cycleway, and upgrades to underground services like communications and stormwater.
Project updates
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