Iris Capital's latest effort to win approval for the rest of its Hunter Street Mall apartment redevelopment has attracted a whopping 268 public submissions. Login or signup to continue reading Iris applied for a review in June after the Hunter Central Coast Regional Planning Panel rejected stages three and four of the EastEnd project because they had had an "unacceptable" impact on views and parking and differed too greatly from a concept plan approved in 2018. The developer warned at the time that the decision could leave the site as a " hoarded-up hole in the ground for years to come".
This sentiment found its way onto posters some residents stuck around EastEnd stage one apartment buildings during the review public submission period last month. The posters asked residents if they wanted the mall to "look like" the artist's impressions Iris has used to market the EastEnd project or "stay like this for years", pointing to pictures of boarded up shopfronts and graffiti-covered walls. The posters included a QR code link to the same question on the StrawPoll website, where 98.
52 per cent of 405 respondents were apparently in favour of Iris' plans. The 268 public submissions on Iris's review application tell a different story. Many are from those opposing the $145 million project, including Newcastle independent lord mayoral candidate Ross Kerridge and Newcastle Inner City Residents Alliance (NICRA).
Dr Kerridge's submissions says Iris's plan will affect views to and from Christ.