COUNCIL MOVING FORWARD WITH THE REDEVLOPMENT OF ATHEL D’OMBRAIN DRIVE AS A CATALYST TO NEW CITY CENT

Maitland City Council is poised to sign off on the funding agreement detailing the terms of its $11.3m grant from the Federal Government’s Building Better Regional Cities (BBRC) program, secured in July this year.

A cross-departmental effort was made to apply for BBRC funding, to upgrade Athel D’Ombrain Drive to stimulate housing development in Central Maitland. The upgrade will provide an alternative inner city route to High Street and firmly establish the city centre’s public transport hub, including an upgrade of parking at Maitland Station and a new roundabout.

General Manager David Evans said signing the funding agreement is the next step in Council achieving the main goals of the project.

‘Signing the agreement will confirm funding for the project and the mechanisms that will be used to establish a new housing market in Central Maitland by delivering affordable housing to new residents through the payment of rebates to qualified home buyers,’ he said.

‘The project is expected to be rolled out over the next two to three years, in tandem with Council’s ongoing revitalisation of the City Centre. The project itself is aiming to see 130 dwelling units completed and available to qualified affordable home buyers between now and 2016.

The signing of this agreement is a milestone for Council, and for Central Maitland, as it sets the wheels in motion for the physical works of the project to commence.’

Work has already begun on the preparation of guidelines for housing development in the City Centre, and precinct planning for the Athel D’Ombrain Drive corridor is also getting underway.

The project is one of a number of significant infrastructure projects to be delivered in the Maitland City Centre over the next four years, as Council moves ahead with the revitalisation of the City Centre under the adopted Central Maitland Structure Plan.