Imagine stepping off High Street and into a lush forest.
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What would it feel like to see water teeming into Maitland’s main street but not be in the midst of a flood?
These are some ideas that Maitland City Council has proposed to activate the city’s laneways as part of plans to revitalise central Maitland.
Artists impressions have been prepared for three possible attractions for laneways in Maitland.
The idea has been included in council’s Heritage Interpretation Master Plan, a collection of innovative ideas to use the city’s past to shape its future.
A forest immersion laneway has been suggested for the laneway near Bulwer Street, which would include green foliage art on the walls and forest sound scapes, in recognition of the forests that once stretched across the region.
Meanwhile, an optical illusion of water spilling into the mall could be created opposite Maitland post office to tie in the significance of the river to the city’s history.
A clock-themed installation could be put in the lane opposite council’s customer service centre, which would surround people with timepieces, clock mechanisms, time warps and the sounds of ticking and cuckoo birds, as a nod to Maitland’s technical innovation.
Council’s heritage officer Clare James said the activations could include the work of local artists, hanging installations and sounds.
Ms James said the installations were still only concepts.
“For example they could involve an artist working with residents of Maitland to
produce themed artworks for a laneway,” she said.
“Installations could be short, roughly one month duration, mid or long term with some potentially becoming permanent fixtures depending on the nature of the installation.”
Ms James said the installations could improve the perceived value of each laneway by improving their presentation and increasing their usability.
“They have organically emerged over time in a variety of forms, some narrow, some unpaved and some pedestrian only,” she said.
“Most are underutilised, but they represent a highly distinctive and urban feature, contributing to Maitland’s character.”
Nearby retailers that the Mercury spoke to yesterday responded in a mostly positive way when shown an artist’s impressions of how the laneways could look.
But the key concerns they raised were whether the lanes could continue to be used.
Some said they worried that the lanes would become targets for vandals.
The master plan is now on public exhibition. Visit www.maitlandyoursay.com.au to tell council what you think about idea of activating the city’s laneways.
You can even suggest your own ideas for the concept.
See Monday’s Mercury for the next instalment of our in-depth look into the master plan.