A floor space and employment survey by Newcastle City Council is attracting new investment and jobs to this coastal NSW city. Council’s Floor Space and Employment Survey won a commendation award in the 2002 National Awards for Innovation in Local Government.
City Strategist, Sandra Feltham, said the 137 page report was being used by real estate agents, business brokers and retailers to identify the ideal location to do business in Newcastle.
“As well as being a useful tool for the private sector, the survey provides important information for Council to guide strategies for inner city revitalisation,” she said. “It complements the City Centre’s Merchandising Plan by providing information about key economic zones in Newcastle and a snapshot of each building in the City Centre. This includes its main use, when it was built, the number of parking spaces, business type and number of employees or residents. Using this information and the tenancy targeting strategies identified in the Merchandising Plan we are able to market specific areas to potential investors.”
The survey, conducted over three weeks in June-July 2001, identified 170 different types of business, including 48 restaurants and cafes, nine banks and seven credit unions, 11 travel agents, 10 jewellers and 26 financial advisers.
Sandra Feltham said the survey enabled Council to measure trends in land use, employment, parking and building characteristics.
“We hope the success of the City survey will be extended to suburban areas of Newcastle like Wallsend and Hamilton,” she said.
For further information contact Sandra Feltham, email sfeltham@ncc.nsw.gov.au or telephone (02) 4974 2879.
