Newcastle Supercars polling finds support for East End track

In a result that will serve as another blow to the council’s already doomed push for the race to avoid the city’s East End, polling found most residents do not support the idea of changing the track.

Instead, a poll of 697 residents in the Newcastle local government area found 60 per cent of those polled supported the current track, while 22 per cent don’t mind either idea.

Only 17 per cent supported the alternative track.

The polling was conducted by ReachTEL on behalf of Newcastle City Council as part of its last-minute push to force the government to consider changing the route.

Residents were asked: would you prefer the track to stay in its current location, change to the alternative route along Shortland Esplanade or do you think either track is fine? 

The council, through the Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes, has become increasingly frustrated with the direction of the race and the perceived lack of on the ground consultation being carried out by the state’s tourism body Destination NSW.

As opposition to the race from East End residents has increased the council had pushed for Destination NSW and Supercars Australia to consider taking the more visually spectacular – but also significantly more expensive – route past Newcastle Baths.

Cr Nelmes said she was “pleased the consultation that should have taken place has now taken place”.

“When Destination NSW made the [Supercars] announcement last year part of that was they would talk to the community and that had not happened and that’s why we were in that position,” she said.

“At the end of the day a lot of the community’s concerns weren’t being addressed.”

The polling was part of its push the government into action. But the proposal to change the race was quickly ruled out by Supercars Australia chief executive James Warburton who said it was too late to consider alternative options.

The poll results will be noted at Tuesday’s Newcastle City Council meeting.