Maitland laneways will come alive with council securing $500K grant

Parliamentary Secretary for the Hunter Taylor Martin said three local councils will receive a total of $1.497 million to brighten the community and bring residents together.

"This exciting project will beautify the area by providing more public space for the community to sit, relax and catch up with friends, admire new art installations, or even dine al fresco in their revitalised surrounds," Mr Martin said.

"If the pilot projects gain widespread community support, we'll look to make them permanent so more people can enjoy the outdoors and connect with those around them."

The funding will be used for Maitland City Council Maitlanes project to unlock public space in seven laneways in Maitland CBD ($500,000); Port Stephens Council William Street Urban Park project to transform a currently inaccessible space into a new public space capable of hosting small events ($497,516) and Newcastle City Council Darby Street trial of a 30km/hr zone and streetscape activations ($500,000).

In the news:

Streets as Shared Spaces 2 capitalises on opportunities created by the pandemic with 70 per cent of people in a recent poll saying they were connecting with people in public spaces instead of at home.

Maitland Mayor Philip Penfold said this program was hugely successful when it was run in Morpeth, with a lot of positive feedback from businesses and visitors.

"The Streets as Shared Spaces funding presents us with a great opportunity to make the most of underused public space in Central Maitland, and we're looking forward to the positive impacts 'Maitlanes' will bring for the community, local businesses and visitors to the City," Cr Penfold said.

Minister for Infrastructure, Cities and Active Transport Rob Stokes said communities were also demanding better walking and cycling infrastructure.

"Now is the time to capitalise on the increased appetite for open space and safe places to connect with our communities in a meaningful way," Mr Stokes said.

"We're reimaging our streets as better places for people, which will drive an increase in foot traffic, support businesses and bring the community together to enjoy the vibrancy our state has to offer."

The Streets as Shared Spaces program provides funding for councils to test and pilot new and innovative ideas that temporarily adapt streets as safe, shared public spaces to support healthier, safe and resilient communities.

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