Building a MoreSustainable CityOfficial and Everyday Practices of Urban Regeneration in Charlestown, NSW

Department of Geography and Planning, Macquarie University

Centre for Urban and Regional Studies, University of Newcastle

K. Ruming, K. Mee, P. McGuirk and J. Sweeney

Building a More Sustainable City:Official and Everyday Practices of Urban Regeneration in Charlestown

Residents Report

August 2015

Kristian Ruming, Kathy Mee, Pauline McGuirk and Jill Sweeney

Department of Geography and Planning, Macquarie University

Centre for Urban and Regional Studies, University of Newcastle

Dr Kristian Ruming

Department of Geography and Planning

Macquarie University NSW 2109

Phone +61 (0)2 9850 8314

Fax +61 (0)2 9850 6052

Email Kristian.ruming@mq.edu.au

Dr Kathy Mee and Professor Pauline McGuirk

Department of Geography and Environmental Studies

University of Newcastle NSW 2308

Phone Kathy: +61 (0)2 4921 6451

Phone Pauline: +61 (0)2 4921 5097

Email Kathy.Mee@newcastle.edu.au

Email Pauline.McGuirk@newcastle.edu.au

Contacts:

All photographs by J. Sweeney.

Introduction 4

Survey Results Summary 5

Resident Interviews Development in Charlestown 8 Charlestown Square 11 Outside the Square 14 Charlestown’s Future 18

Concluding Comments 19

The ethical aspects of this study have been approved by the Macquarie University Ethics ReviewCommittee (Human Research). If you have any complaints or reservations about any ethical aspectof your participation in this research, you may contact the Ethics Review Committee through theDirector, Research Ethics (phone 9850 7854; email ethics@mq.edu.au). Any complaint you make willbe treated in confidence and investigated, and you will be informed of the outcome.

Ethical Statement

CONTENTS

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In 2014 we invited you to participate in astudy of urban regeneration and renewal inthe Newcastle region. The purpose of thestudy was to uncover the ways in which theNewcastle region is being regeneratedthrough formal and informal practices ofhouseholds, organisations, businesses andgovernments. We were particularlyinterested in how policies, people and theurban environment are involved inprocesses of urban regeneration, and theformal and informal ways in whichregeneration occurs.

The study involved four case studies offormal and informal urban regenerationinitiatives that are currently taking place inthe Newcastle region: Newcastle;Charlestown; Huntlee; and everydaypractices of home and gardenmaintenance. As people living inCharlestown, we wanted to learn moreabout your experiences and opinions ofthe urban regeneration currently beingundertaken in Charlestown. We alsowanted to find out more about whatresidents are doing to maintain theirhomes, gardens and neighbourhoods.Residents are an important group thatsometimes feel overlooked. Theyexperience firsthand the changes thatregeneration brings, and their houses, flatsand yards are part of the fabric of the city.

To find out more we first conducted asurvey of households by distributing 5000postcards throughout Charlestown. Wegathered a sample of 88 residents across

the suburb. The survey focused on homerenovation, sustainability and change inCharlestown.

We also asked for volunteers to participatein a follow-up interview, and conducted 25in-depth resident interviews. Building onthe survey, these interviews investigatedresidents' views on regeneration and posedquestions around regeneration plans andproposals for Charlestown's future.

This report presents a summary of some ofthe results from the survey and theinterviews. Names of participants havebeen changed in order to protect theirprivacy.

We would like to thank you for yourparticipation in this research and forhelping us to find out more about howresidents experience urban regeneration.If you have any questions or comments,please direct them to Dr Kristian Rumingon ph. 029850 8314 or email:Kristian.ruming@mq.edu.au

INTRODUCTION

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Living in Charlestown

Charlestown's central location and supply ofaffordable, well-maintained properties were keyfactors that attracted people to the suburb. Itsproximity to services (62%), shopping centres(64%) and places of work (44%) were firmly inits favour, with respondents also citing thequality of housing, block size, and proximity torecreational and leisure opportunities as beingpositive features.

Survey participants reported undertaking arange of regular activities in Charlestown.Perhaps not surprisingly, the vast majority ofrespondents said they regularly shop locally orin their neighbourhood (94%), while 67% run,walk or ride a bike, and 64% regularly go tocafes and restaurants. Half of all respondentsregularly attend cultural facilities such as thecinema, and approximately 40% visit parks orplaygrounds. Only 13% said they commonlyattended public events in Charlestown, whichmay suggest a lack of events rather than a lackof interest. A number of respondents alsocommented on a lack of community activities.

Improving Charlestown

Participants agreed that a number of thingscould be done to improve Charlestown. Amajority felt that constructing more publicspaces, including parks (56%) as well as betterquality public spaces (54%) would contribute toa positive change in the suburb.

Nearly half of the respondents (48%) believedbetter planning strategies from both LakeMacquarie Council and the State Governmentare necessary for Charlestown to improve, whilea smaller number (38%) felt that more diversityin businesses (such as shops and entertainmentvenues) would be a beneficial change.

Significantly, only 14% of respondents thoughtlarge development projects would improveCharlestown further.

SURVEY RESULTS

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Urban Regeneration in Charlestown

We asked Charlestown residents aboutregeneration plans for Charlestown.Significantly, many residents were not aware ofthe Charlestown Town Centre Master Plan (74%),a key plan for Charlestown's renewal, andalmost 97% of respondents said they had notattended a consultation about the plan.

This is noteworthy given that many respondentsbelieve that local government has a major rolein regeneration in Charlestown (77%). Inaddition, almost 64% of respondents stated thatbusiness groups were driving regeneration inthe suburb, and 50% felt that communitygroups also had an important role to play.

Anticipated Impacts of UrbanRegeneration in Charlestown

Respondents believed a range of benefits wouldflow from Charlestown's regeneration. Amajority expected to see an increase inemployment in the area (63%), aswell as better use of Charlestown's existinginfrastructure (57%). Improvements in publicspaces and people's health and well-being werealso anticipated (49% and 48% respectively).

The anticipated problems, meanwhile, offer aninsight into some of the respondents' existingconcerns. Many respondents felt that parkingdifficulties and traffic congestion would worsenafter regeneration (77% and 75%), while overhalf worried that Charlestown would lose itsgreen spaces (56%).

Regenerating the City through HomeMaintenance

The survey found that residents were keen tomake their homes more comfortable andliveable, and sought to improve the look of theirhouse and garden.

Approximately 62% reported painting the insideof their home in recent years, while 42% hadpainted the exterior. Nearly 46% had redonetheir garden, and 38% of respondents hadinstalled internet access. The same amount ofrespondents had installed or replaced the hotwater system (38%). Almost 35% had renovatedtheir kitchen.

Sustainability

A large majority of residents reported installingenergy-saving light globes and water-savingshower heads since moving in to their currenthome (80% and 63% respectively). Mostreported they had not purchased more costlysustainability features such as solar panels,water tanks or window glazing. However therewas a moderate uptake of having vegetablegardens/fruit trees, and some type ofcomposting system, possibly reflecting abroader trend back to having more productivebackyards.

The survey also asked residents for anyadditional comments about Charlestown thatthey wished to make. There were somepositive comments: that Charlestown is a greatplace to live, and that the services providedwere generally excellent. There were alsoconcerns expressed around safety,communication and making the area moreuser-friendly. The following matters were themost commonly mentioned:

Public Domain

Numerous people remarked that the publiclandscape of Charlestown was sometimesunwelcoming, unsafe or difficult to access.They felt the suburb, including the centre area,was not pedestrian-friendly, and needed morefootpaths and better street lighting. More busshelters and seating at bus stops were alsonominated as things which would makeCharlestown more liveable.

Transport Planning

Traffic congestion, road design, and cyclewayswere highlighted as key concerns. PearsonStreet, Canberra Street and the nearby stretchof the Pacific Highway were specificallymentioned as needing attention, andnumerous commenters felt that road safetywas a particular issue of concern. Respondentsalso discussed the need to develop cycleways

and connect these to cycleways in other partsof Newcastle, so that people could safely rideto and from town, for example.

Communication, Consultation and CommunityEngagement

Some respondents expressed a feeling ofuncertainty about what was happening inCharlestown, and said they would like to bekept more informed about planning anddevelopment decisions.

Others wanted more opportunities toparticipate in community consultation andgive feedback on development plans. Therewas a sense among some respondents thatdevelopment in Charlestown 'just seems tohappen', and that there was a greater focusbeing placed on commercial developmentthan on community development.

Additional Comments

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Building on the concerns highlighted in the survey, the interviews uncovered arange of views about development in Charlestown. The residents we spoke withwere interested in the development happening around Charlestown Square and anumber of them felt particularly positive about the changes:

"In general I think [it’s] good because there's more services, there's moreavailable there, there's noticeably more government and NGO offices andwhat-not in the area now, which has brought a lot of people there in thedaytime. The place has livened up a little bit." (Isaac)

"We've got a few modern office buildings with shops underneath. The mostrecent ones, those two ones opposite each other on the corners, they'regreat…I like those very much. I think they're the sort of thing we need."(Dylan)

"You drove down the main street of Newcastle which is Hunter Street andwe'd look at it and just go, oh dear, okay. But whereas when you drove down- when we drove down the Pacific Highway which is technically the mainstreet of Charlestown, you kind of look at it the same way and go yeah, this isa little bit derelict. But then you go one street over where the Square is andyou go, oh no this is nice." (Alice)

There was also a sense from some people that this type of development inCharlestown was making it a nicer place to live:

“I guess five or ten years ago when I was at uni I wouldn’t have thought ofliving out here. It’s a bit of a change in circumstances I guess in my life, but itdoes feel a bit nicer. The main street feels a bit nicer again. It seems to be –it’s slowly spreading out from the Newcastle side I guess rather than a LakeMacquarie thing and Charlestown’s the next suburb to get hit by it maybe.”(James)

RESIDENT INTERVIEWS

1. Development in Charlestown

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However, others felt that development in Charlestown was ad hoc and didn't alwaysmake sense:

"I think they tend to tick everything without much reflection… without thinkingabout how stuff's going to be used they just tick, oh great, a development. That'sgoing to bring in money… But it'd be really nice if they could have an overview ofwhat they wanted something to look like, what the best way to take a certainplace would be, and then how to do that." (Gwen)

"I've never seen any plan, any visionary plan. It just seems to - all of sudden thereseems to be something else popping up. I don't know where they're going tobuild high rise or where they're going to build whatever they're going to build orwhere they're going to have further developments." (Alec)

"I don't know that people [know] how things happen, the planning process alwayshappens somewhere else." (Jane)

As these comments show, some residents felt that there was no cohesive plan guidingdevelopment in Charlestown, which gave them a sense of uncertainty about thefuture. They also felt disconnected from the planning process. As the survey revealed,only a very small proportion of respondents knew about the Charlestown Town CentreMaster Plan, and even less had attended a consultation about it (approximately 3% ofthose surveyed). When we followed up on this during interviews, people expressed astrong desire for more information. From our discussions it seems that the waydevelopment in Charlestown is being communicated to residents is a key issue for ourparticipants.

This is particularly significant in light of our residents' comments around whatconstitutes good development. Take Emma’s comments:

“Here for example, is a community campaign running because they want to do amajor residential development across the road. You could argue that it’s a bitinsular-looking and people don’t want the development, but they’re not actuallycalling for no development, they’re calling for good development which meanshow do you take community needs into account.

“It hasn’t really been a successful campaign to take into account the communityneeds, which are not crazy community needs. They’re saying, ‘we don’t have roadspace here and the current road infrastructure is inadequate to deal with morepeople. Please put something in that will fix it’, that’s all, but not listened to at all.”

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Emma's comments highlight the idea that ‘good development' depends verymuch on how you experience the local area. For many of the residents we spoketo, good development meant meeting local needs around the safety andwalkability of the suburb, quality public spaces, and better transport planning -that is, different ways to get around the area and enjoy being outside andsharing space with others.

Changes in housing

In addition to the new office buildings around Charlestown Square, new housingis a key area of development occurring in Charlestown. Our interviewees hadobserved an increase in the amount of apartment buildings and units beingconstructed around the suburb, including some high-density blocks. Someresidents interpreted this change as being about profit-generation as much asaccommodating growth, although some viewed the changes in housing stock asa positive trend:

"But just seeing these builder units going in the last few years, that's a trend Ilike to see, because we're getting a different type of accommodation as Imentioned before, walking distance to the shops. It's all positive." (Dylan)

"That kind of housing is typically to cater for, for me, a range of diversepopulations and I'm all right with that kind of stuff." (Emma)

However, others had concerns about the quality and sustainability of the newbuildings, and the potential loss of open space:

"The principle of infill and having more people living on one area of land isgood because then you can use more resources to give them public transportand give them cycleways, because they'll be paying rates, and do stuff. Butyou have to have better controls over what we put in… I don't think there'sany rules about orientation. There's no rules about eaves and overhang as faras I know." (Jane)

"So, again you're going to have change like that provided it's designed wellwhere you've got plenty of open space for people to do things and that's acontradiction in terms for some developers. The whole objective is to get asmany things to sell on the smallest piece of dirt." (Alec)

In general, our interviews suggest that participants are open to the idea of newdevelopment in Charlestown, provided that it is sustainable and well-designed,and there is a safeguarding of open space.

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2. Charlestown Square

Our interviews turned up a diverse range ofviews on Charlestown Square. Some peopleenjoy the shops and use the Square as a placeto meet friends and family, go to the movies,and play with their children. Others are lessenthusiastic but appreciate the convenienceand parking it offers, and a third group dislikethe Square and tend to avoid it.

We had some particularly interestingdiscussions with residents about the impact ofCharlestown Square on the surrounding area.

Dylan argued that the shopping centre hashelped to create the beginnings of an urbancentre:

"If it hadn't happened I think council would bestruggling to make an urban centre, to behonest, because it was basically a bunch ofstrip shops prior to that. Now there's been abit of regeneration."

Ron added: "Charlestown has become probablymore a major centre over the last 30 years. The

Charlestown Square draws a fair catchmentarea… it attracts people to this area."

Sam thought that the Charlestown Squareredevelopment had also attracted investmentto the area:

"I think having GPT move here was one of thedeciding factors for why the National DisabilityInsurance Agency moved here as well whichhas injected a whole lot more investment intothe area."

And Alice was pleased with Charlestown Squareacting as a social hub:

"They're making it into a social area as well.They're putting cafes and things that are openall the time which is in walking distance forme.”

One of the more obvious impacts of theshopping centre expansion was theconstruction of the new field on FrederickStreet, the new bowling club premises, and StJohn Oval near the Charlestown Leagues Club.Although some interviewees felt that there hadbeen a net loss of public space as a result ofthe expansion, the general feeling was that theredevelopment of the surrounding area was apositive for the community:

"I was really against the expansion ofCharlestown Square but it turned out prettygood. The bowling club benefitted, the oval,Charlestown Oval has been upgraded and it'sa pretty good facility for soccer and cricket."(Terry)

"Admittedly there was two fields, now we'redown to one, but that one field has been verywell laid out. It seems to be used quite well. It'svisually good to look at. Especially with thescreen they put up and the references to earlymorning and that kind of stuff." (Tom)

"Well when they put that in there theyupgraded the soccer fields around and thefootball fields. It's absolutely fantastic. Theyalso rebuilt the bowling club up therealthough I don't normally go there. It wentfrom an eyesore to quite a good lookingbuilding now. That sort of rejuvenation hasreally sparked up the area. (Bill)

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Our interviewees were not quite so pleased about the impact of thecentre's expansion on roads and traffic. A number of intervieweescommented on the increased traffic congestion and the spillover ofparking into nearby residential streets. They also felt that the road designaround the centre was frustrating and difficult to use.

“The Square is like some kind ofgravitational super-massiveblack hole.”

"It's a very weird place to drive,because all the - I don't know,Square is like some kind ofgravitational super-massive blackhole and all of the traffic rotatesaround it." (Isaac)

"I hate going to Charlestown Squarebecause I've got to go through Idon't know how many sets of trafficlights… and you just can't get out.It's frustrating and it's slow." (Trevor)

"They've added to [the originaldesign] but they've not integratedthe traffic…the design of the trafficflows through it. It's been anafterthought." (Oliver)

Apart from the road issues, the mostfrequently mentioned concern wasthat Charlestown Square drewpeople away from other places andother businesses, affectingCharlestown morebroadly:

"What it does do in a lot of ways, ittakes people off the streets and intothe Square and so then the streetsbecome less inviting. Because youknow that thing is when you havepeople out in the public space it's

safer, you're more likely to go out."(Jane)

"Charlestown Square has come in,so everybody drives to park atCharlestown Square, do yourshopping and drive out. No oneuses Hilltop Plaza. No one uses thehighway… so subsequently all theshops are just closing down."(Trevor)

This has important implications ifthe area around Charlestown Squareis to be Charlestown's town centre.For some residents, CharlestownSquare's boundaries do notprecisely end with the shoppingcentre. It is, rather, a central featuresurrounded by public space; a hubof activity which attracts people notjust to shop but to socialise, eat, anduse other parts of the space.

Our interviewees clearly valued thepublic landscape upgrades that hadcome with the Square's expansion,yet were concerned by the perceiveddeprivation and emptiness of thesurrounding area, including thePacific Highway and Hilltop Plaza.To our participants, these areas feltneglected and sometimes unsafe.

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Facilitator: When you say Charlestown, what do people think?

William: Oh, Charlestown Square [laughs] - Charlestown Square.

3. Outside the Square

One thing that came through very strongly in our interviews wasthe view that there is more to Charlestown than the shoppingcentre, and that the rest of Charlestown tends to get overlooked incomparison. We discussed with residents the idea that there aretwo Charlestowns: the commercial part and the residential part. Ourinterviewees felt there was a clear divide between the two:

"Spatially-wise thedevelopment is large, like a

big shopping centre and thebig buildings and stuff in that

centre area. But if you lookaround it, there's all thesepeople just going around

doing their own little things.There's a swimming pool and

there's the football oval andthere's people walking

around. There's peoplemowing their lawn and

there's the bike track. It's notprofound stuff but its people

enacting their lives in theirown way all around this large

thing." (Emma)

"That's what everyone ties it to,yeah, a big shopping centre.That I know of, yeah. Mostpeople that don't live here comedown here and they say gee, Ididn't know it was like this.We've had people from Sydneycome up here and the first timethey've been up here… they said[what] they really noticed is thenumber of trees. How green itis." (Sean)

"I love Charlestown, I think it'sgreat because it's far enoughaway from - we can still accessthe shopping centres and stuff ifwe have to but it's far awayenough - where we are is faraway enough to still see greenand its quiet." (Deb)

Turning our focus to Charlestownmore broadly then, we asked ourparticipants for their thoughts ondifferent aspects of their suburb,including the maintenance of thepublic domain (e.g. streets andpublic areas), and where theywould go to enjoy a meal.

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Several of our participants wished for morecafés and restaurants in Charlestown:

"There's nowhere to go. There arerestaurants at the Square but they're full ofkids and like a food hall. I don't want to goto a food hall; I want to go to a restaurant.So, no, there's nowhere in Charlestown."(Gwen)

Many of them said they tend to go intoNewcastle if they want to dine out, andtalked about the draw of eat streets such asDarby Street and Beaumont Street. Did theythink a Darby Street would emerge inCharlestown?

"I'll stay if it will…That would be a greatidea for where the library is for over thatside. I think it would need to bepurposefully developed as a precinct forthat sort of thing with parking andpedestrian space. But it won't happen byaccident. I think it would have to be apurposeful development." (Gwen)

However, some residents thought thatplaces like Darby Street could not beplanned and needed to evolve moreorganically:

"They're looking at it from the wrong angle,I get the thing that they've got therestaurants but Darby Street and BeaumontStreet are more about the space, it's notabout the actual restaurants, it's aboutwhere they are. You can't just stick arestaurant in concrete and say ‘yay it's justlike Darby Street.’" (Deb)

“There’s no character, and genericfranchises like they tend to have with thetype of food and cafés, they’re the same. Soyou could be in Charlestown, you could bein Chatswood or you could be somewhereelse, there’s no individuality.” (Jane)

Dining Out

As we saw in the survey results, our participantsgenerally believed that there are some niceareas of public space to be found inCharlestown, and additional public spaceswould improve the suburb and give people arange of places to go beyond the shoppingcentre or sports fields.

They also discussed some important concernsaround the accessibility and safety of publicspace:

"There are a few other areas around that areright next to the main street, so the back ofCentrelink and the other cinema is pretty - it'sa bit grubby down there… you don't feel thatsafe at night time, sometimes." (James)

"Well, try and catch a bus here at night time andsee how you go. There's no through traffic,shops are closed - I wouldn't want to be doing itby myself… Just one of the guys at work, his carbroke down so he had to catch a bus out… Inthe winter, it's freezing cold, the rain wasblowing in, there was not a soul about and hegoes - he's a big bloke and he goes “even I felta bit awkward.” There's not fantastic street-lighting either but to sit around by yourself forhowever long it takes for your buses to come…"(Max)

Safety was a key issue residents raised in boththe interviews and the survey. It was linked to adesire for more street-lighting, more footpathsand a more active streetscape where there arepeople around at different times of the day andnight - as Jane discussed, having more peopleusing public spaces brings a sense of safety.

Interestingly, Isaac felt that, while some parts ofCharlestown are empty at night, other partshave become more restricted, particularlyaround Charlestown Square:

"If it's not directly managed by them now, it'sbeen shaped by that development and as aconsequence there's less [public space] andthere's a little bit more perception of, say, withpeople hanging around of any age, you know, aperception that it's a controlled space and [you]shouldn't be there. It's not that easily accessiblepublic space. [...] So there's just those littlefeelings that the place is a little bit more lockeddown than it used to be."

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Public Space

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Yet our residents were pleased with somepublic spaces. The Fernleigh Track was highlypraised in our interviews, and many talkedabout how they loved the bushland spaces andthe greenness of Charlestown:

"I love green ways and they've done a beautifularea on the south piazza - or the north piazzawhich is just huge, beautiful, lovely… So that'sbeautiful but I think that's where it stopped. Ihaven't seen the beautification in any otherareas. Our streets are actually pretty good Ithink, they're fairly decent but I would haveliked to see more greenery involved." (Sam)

"I think the Fernleigh Track was a brilliantinitiative, that's been fantastic." (Deb)

"That corner where the - where they've put thecricket ground now on Dudley Road - as youcome down it's on the right hand side. I saidlook how good that looks, they've got nativegrasses all along there all the way up toCharlestown Square practically." (William)

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"I think [Charlestown] will bethe centre of this - the area -if the developments continuebecause everyone seems to -businesses and everythingseems to be coming outhere. Because even thoughthere's not heaps of parking,there's a lot more parkinghere than what there is intown. You come out toCharlestown and it's nice, it'sclean, it's fresh because it'snew and it's much nicer tobe in than say driving intoHunter Street more andgoing there." (Alice)

"The population could growsignificantly. There'spotential for that… with moremedium density housing andpotentially, I suppose, somehigh density bits and piecesthere you could see thepopulation growingsignificantly because it's notthat far from town." (Alec)

"The important parts to mewould be the rejuvenation ofthe highway, buildings eitherside, public transport not justbeing buses." (Ron)

"Get them out of their cars,that's the first thing. Becausein downtown Newcastle youcan walk around, they haveput cars slowly down therebut you can walk around,you can get out of your car.So you've got to experiencethings out of your car first. Ithink that's key." (Jane)

"Every time I see a roadbeing developed I said wellwhy don't you take the wisechoice and while you make aroad build in a cycleway thenand then link them all upeventually. I know it's costly,it's always costly, but you'vegot to have a bit of visionand I think you've got toback that vision up and then

just say look we're going tospend the money here."(Sean)

A fairly common responsewas that people were unsurewhat the future ofCharlestown might hold,because they hadn't seen along-term plan put forth.This was a recurring theme inour research, suggesting thatlocal governmentcommunication andconsultation strategies maynot be reaching theresidents, and as such, thereare currently no widelyshared or publically-debatedvisions for Charlestown.

4. Charlestown’s Future

Whether it's through large developments or suburban change,Charlestown is evolving. We asked residents to imagine what lay ahead forCharlestown in the next five to ten years, and what they hope to see in thefuture. Some people expected the trend of medium-density developmentto continue, and that the population of Charlestown will grow. Inparticular, there were hopes for diverse public transport options, safecycleways and an improved public domain.

The residents we surveyed and spoke with hada keen interest in their immediate surrounds.They took pride in their homes and enjoyedmany parts of their suburb, including thebushland, the established houses and gardens,the shopping centre, the sportsfields, theFernleigh Track, and the convenience of thenearby medical facilities. Charlestown'sproximity to other places, especially Newcastle,was also appreciated.

There was also a strong theme of communityin our discussions. The residents we spoke withmissed having a sense of community. They feltthat generational change and residentialturnover had meant previous neighbourhoodbonds had fallen away:

“A great sense of community in the place, that'sgone. There's no - we had a lady around herewho was a widow with five kids, had a daughterwho wanted to get married and she didn't haveany money. It was the neighbours around herethat, you know, people helped sew the weddingdress, people prepared the wedding feast, andthey all had - everybody said that it was the bestwedding that anybody had ever been to, wewere all invited. But that's gone by-the-by now,you can stand out the front now and - well,people think I'm weird because I like to talk topeople, and I say g'day and, “what's he doing,he's actually speaking to me.” That's what I thinkis missing in the place." (Arthur)

CONCLUDING COMMENTS

“If you've got pride in where you are then things always look good.

They don't have to be necessarily redone and professionally land-

scaped and all this sort of stuff. You can tell places even if they're old

or whatever where people have taken pride in their home.” - Trevor

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Some residents also wanted more communityengagement from council, community groupsand residents, and more activities in whichresidents could take part. Sam, for example,mentioned the Cinema Under the Stars project:

"Organise something like Newcastle currentlydo for the Cinema and the Stars or whatever. Ithink that would bring everyone together butthis area doesn't do it. I know Swansea does it,Speers Point does it, Newcastle does it andCharlestown doesn't. We don't do anything."

When we asked about Charlestown's future,many participants commented on the lack of avision for what Charlestown would become. Asthe suburb continues to grow and renew, itseems that some residents are feeling the lackof a cohesive identity - that they are missing ashared sense of what Charlestown is and wholives there. In some ways this ties in to the desire for more public space and morecommunity activities. It also speaks to the wishfor interconnected planning and regenerationstrategies, as expressed by a number ofparticipants.

In general, our residents wanted Charlestown tobe seen - particularly by planners anddevelopers - as more than just CharlestownSquare. As Charlestown regenerates and renewsthrough the activities of government, develop-ers and the community, these residents wantedCharlestown to become a well-planned place tolive: one that is walkable, safe, well-connected,and sustainable. They also sincerely wished for

Charlestown to be a place which fosterscommunity through events, communication andconsultation.

We thank you again for your participation.

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