Newcastle council will form a working party to progress the Richmond Vale Rail Trail and hopes to lodge a development application for the project before mid-2019.
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The party will comprise councillors, council officers and community members from all three councils the planned trail runs through.
The proposed 32km cycleway from Shortland to Kurri Kurri, which runs on part of the old Richmond Vale railway line, has been mooted for years.
A committee comprising community members, state and federal MPs, and other stakeholders had been meeting irregularly in order to turn the vision into a reality.
Its last meeting was in March and key members involved are still working quietly behind the scenes.
But the council’s plan for a working party is “aimed at coordinating our efforts towards the delivery of this important infrastructure project,” Newcastle lord mayor Nuatali Nelmes said.
Newcastle council took charge of the trail’s concept design and environmental impact statement in 2016, helping fund a $480,000 contract for the work.
The council planned to put EIS documents on public display in the second half of 2018, but that has been delayed until next year.
“Multiple Councils, state agencies and community groups are still working on the EIS and related environmental documents for the RVRT, which requires a large volume of preparatory work,” Cr Nelmes said.
“We anticipate submitting the DA for the project, including the EIS and supporting documentation, in the first half of 2019 and the documents will be shared with the community as part of the DA process.”
Each council would be required to have development applications for its own local government area, but Cr Nelmes expects this to happen concurrently.
READ MORE: Cycle trail plan ‘back on track' (2013)
A 2014 feasibility study suggested the estimated $14 million trail cost could be recouped in three years from economic tourism benefits of $5.2 million per year.
The trail runs through Hunter Wetlands, across Lake Macquarie council land and into Cessnock council.
The first stage of the project is Shortland to Tarro. Stage two would run off stage one along the old rail line and link Hexham to Kurri Kurri.
A LMCC spokesperson said the full project would require state and/or federal funding but the council would “support any plan to establish a working party”.
“We also support any move to attract state or federal funding for the project, and recently included the RVRT in a series of funding advocacy documents provided to local MPs to help achieve this aim.
“Council believes construction of the cycleway aligns with the NSW Government’s commitment to support the development of cycling and pedestrian networks in its draft Greater Newcastle Future Transport Plan.”
Cessnock MP Clayton Barr said it was encouraging to see Newcastle council take the lead on the project, and that state Labor was “going to build rail trails” in NSW.
