What would you like to see in the Cessnock central business district and surrounds?
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Cessnock City Council will soon be calling on residents to have their say, when the draft plans for the Cessnock Commercial Precinct go on public exhibition.
The draft plan identifies a number of opportunities to revitalise the CBD, with a town square, arts and cultural hub, green space and a district-level playground among them.
Potential locations for commercial, retail and business activity are also identified.
Council says without the plan, the future direction of the Cessnock Commercial Precinct is unknown and “at the mercy of ad-hoc development”.
The documents also will allow council to take a proactive approach towards in seeking grant funding “rather than reacting as opportunities arise”.
The council hopes the town square will become the future heart of the city – something that could be used for a city market, events and festivals.
A town square would do no harm to Cessnock’s growing reputation as an events destination – as seen by Sunday’s Stomp festival, the Spring Awakening in September and the Australian Postie Bike Grand Prix in October.
It’s exciting news for the city – as is the suggestion to build a district-level playground and park at the Cessnock TAFE grounds.
Cessnock has long been crying out for such a park, and a location in the heart of town is a logical choice.
Some of the suggestions our Facebook followers readers made for the former Cessnock City Bowling Club site could certainly be applied to the land identified in the draft commercial precinct plans.
Many called for a park to be built there, while a cinema, bowling alley and Kmart were also popular suggestions (see the comments in the post below).
The bowling club site is not part of the commercial precinct area, and if its proposed rezoning is successful, it is unlikely to become a park, because the owners hope to rezone the site for commercial purposes.
The draft plans for the Cessnock Commercial Precinct will be placed on public exhibition at council’s administration building, libraries and website from May 3 to June 14.
Stay tuned and make sure you have your say about Cessnock’s future.
