Dear Mr Wickham I refer to your email on behalf of the Friends of Newcastle Ocean Baths to the Minister for Climate Change, Minister for Energy, Minister for the Environment and Minister for Heritage, the Hon Penny Sharpe MLC, about a development application related to the Newcastle Ocean Baths. Your email was referred to the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW) and I have been asked to reply. Thank you for sending the two recent media articles about the...

City of Newcastle has now issued a response to submissions received during the public notice period for the proposed Food & Drink Premises lease at the Newcastle Ocean Baths. Council confirms that 173 submissions were received, with 169 objections (approximately 98%). The response also acknowledges that many submissions raised concerns about alcohol, commercialisation an d impacts on the Baths, including circulation, amenity and the balance between public and commercial use. In its...

Newcastle has spoken — and it doesn’t want a licensed Ocean Baths 270 submissions were received addressing the Development Application lodged by council for Stage 2 of the Newcastle Ocean Baths. Approximately 94 per cent objected. The detail behind these numbers matters. Around three-quarters explicitly raised concerns about alcohol or licensed hospitality. Heritage mattered deeply — but so did alcohol. For many in our community, the introduction of a large, licensed venue into the Ocean...