Maitland High Street Precinct

Overview

City Plan Heritage was part of a team led by McGregor Coxall to prepare renewal plans for the High Street & Riverfront of Historical Maitland, the Lower Hunter region’s ‘Major Regional Centre.’ High street, with its rich history & character, is the hearth of Maitland’s community. It consists the city’s main axis & the richness of its streetscape is testament to Maitland’s sustained prosperity over many decades. Many institutions & public buildings feature in the unique catalogue of Colonial & Australian architecture, with fine examples of buildings from Georgian, Victorian, Federation, Art Deco & other periods.

Development

Among the many objectives of the project was to ensure the Hunter River & its link with the region’s heritage is recognised in the revitalisation of Central Maitland. The project aimed to create a spark for new development by revitalising key civic sites, improve visitor experience & movement throughout Central Maitland & to assist the transformation of Central Maitland.

The heart of historic Maitland has been in decline for the past decade due to increasing traffic congestion and a number of increasing retailing competition from the nearby regional shopping centre. The project converted the heritage mall into High Street Central, a shared pedestrian and vehicle domain zone. It also identified opportunities to renew the fabric of the city with sympathy infill and renovations, aiming to create a new physical connection between High Street and the south Bank of the Hunter river through walks and the vibrant urban spaces.

Our Involvement

City Plan Heritage’s role was to facilitate heritage protection & appreciation of Maitland’s historical character. Following a detailed analysis of the High Street streetscape, City Plan prepared heritage assessments, heritage restorative options & Heritage Impact Statement for the renewal project. City Plan Heritage was also involved in the third stage of the study & provided a heritage impact statement for the removal of intrusive elements & facade lighting & heritage conservation advice to the High Street streetscapes.

Following the successful response of Maitland Council & community on the High Street Revitalisation project, City Plan Heritage together with City Plan Urban Design was engaged by the Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle to provide heritage advice & urban recommendations to the revitalisation of St John’s Cathedral Precinct.