[4 March 2007] Nobbys Lighthouse is a heritage gem that is going to be swallowed in new privatised development if the Commonwealth doesn’t stand firm against the NSW Inc Property development industry.

Courtesy of The Lighthouse Depot

Download (right mouse click - save link as)
the "Hands Off Our Nobbys" Flyer (114 KB)

We urge you to ask the Commonwealth to hold a public inquiry.
Please SEND YOUR PROTEST TO:

The Hon. Malcolm Turnbull MP
Minister for The Environment and Water Resources

Parliament House Contact:

PO Box 6022
House of Representatives
Parliament House
Canberra ACT 2600

Tel: (02) 6277 7640
Fax: (02) 6273 6101

Email: [email protected]

Office Contact:

Phone (02) 9369 5221
Fax: (02) 9369 5225

Level 1, 5A Bronte Rd
Bondi Junction NSW 2022
PO Box 1840,
Bondi Junction NSW 1355

Newcastle Port Corporation and Nobbys Lighthouse Pty Ltd have continued with this project impacting the unique Nobbys Lighthouse in obvious breach of Commonwealth law. (Sec 26 EPBC Act 1999)

There has never been open assessment because the development is a joint development with the Port Corporation and State Organisations like the Port Corporation cannot have their developments rejected or modified without the agreement of the Minister (Port Corp. advises the Minister).

The Port Corporation is not a trustworthy manager of this site and should not be using a backhoe on this area if there is no Archaeologist present. Don’t forget they have been in breach of the EPBC Act since 2003 - 4 and are liable to heavy penalties.

The heritage Office were advised by Newcastle Port Corporation that the works comprised stabilisation of the road and bitou bush removal. They involved no 'new' excavation and therefore these activities would fall within the Standard Exemptions accompanying the State Heritage Register listing of the Coal River Precinct and do not require reference to the Heritage Office.

We do not believe the development is road stabilisation and bitou bush removal as stated! In fact it is not. It is clearly excavation affecting important relics and construction of a new road and sewer line.

Nobbys was to be:

“Adaptive Reuse of cottages and signal station”
No new buildings or residential development.

But we are getting the lot - the Port Corporation do as they like. The photos above show work that is clearly the start of getting Nobbys, Newcastle’s most important icon, ready for privatisation.

Two hundred years on and the people of Newcastle are still being treated as convicts. I hope that the photo and drawing demonstrate the deleterious impact of the inappropriate building in front of the lighthouse gem.

It is an outrage that the Port Corporation had tried to hide this impact from the Commonwealth who have the duty to protect this Commonwealth Heritage Place.

The proponent should be required to clearly show the new buildings and illustrate the impact clearly. The Lighthouse was never given any weight as a Commonwealth Heritage Place in any of the assessment procedures. The NSW heritage office wrongly accepted the argument that the Lighthouse curtilage was already alienated by the existing modern 1988 double garage and that could be used to justify further alienation.

You would recall that the project was only approved in the first DA with conditions that restricted the foot print. The second DA was the same with instruction to remove the conditions. It is to be hoped that the Commonwealth find that the 1988 garages should be removed and no new building constructed on Nobbys Headland and that the principle of adaptive reuse be maintained.

There should be no new residential buildings constructed using the excuse of the garages. It must be acknowledged that the Lighthouse is the reason for the cutting down of Nobbys and that the Lighthouse is the principal heritage item on the headland.

All buildings should respect the Lighthouse which must be allowed to stand clear and free with all non contributing elements removed.