Everywhere you look around Newcastle’s CBD there’s new construction. It’s a curious mix of heritage age buildings and skyscrapers. Well they don’t so much scrape as point, but they’re still 10 or so storeys high.

On the other hand you have the “markets” in Newcastle CBD’s mall. What markets, you say? Oh, they are no more. They tried to fly but the Council had tied them to the anchor with extra big parking fees – on a weekend! To “encourage a greater turnover of shoppers”. That’s right, and it’s not their only “duh” moment.

The government in it’s infinite wisdom wants to can our rail lines (probably so they can steal the trains to shore up Sydney’s rail system). The Council has yet to stop that happening. If the rail corridor was vacated, what would you expect to replace it? Something for the Council’s employers, the people? Bzzzt. Wrong. Something for the developers who missed the land grab for the first round of harbour blocking skyscrapers.

With all the new multi storey apartment blocks sprouting around the beach end of the CBD you’d expect that there would be regulations in place to enforce minimum parking allocations, wouldn’t you. Ha, foolish one.