Design process / history

For most of the 20th century, the 50 hectares of harbourfront land that makes up this inner Newcastle site was dominated by industrial uses, from railway workshops, to wool stores, cargo sheds and warehouses. In recent decades much of the land was left derelict and contaminated.

In 1992, the NSW State Government established the Honeysuckle Development Corporation (now the Hunter Development Corporation) to redevelop what was by then surplus government land. Initially funded with $100 million from the Commonwealth/State Building Better Cities program, the Hunter Development Corporation is redeveloping the site in stages, or precincts.

The first stage of Honeysuckle is now complete and is described here. Work on the adjacent stages known as Lee Wharf and Cottage Creek is ongoing, with additional retail shops, offices and cafes due to open in mid-2009. A public art playground is being built at Worth Place at Lee Wharf, and will feature a childrens play area, open public space, including grassed areas, and an extension of the foreshore promenade.