It was announced in August last year that the coastal park section of the Supercars track would be re-turfed after the end of the event, but the council’s findings last Monday was that two-thirds of 334 survey respondents were against the proposed idea.

The stand-out call was for the children’s bike track and area, with 149 votes, with 147 votes for an outdoor gym area the next highest.

Other options included a children’s play area (125 votes) and planter boxes, seating and shade (118 votes).

The park itself is still sandy and dry a full six weeks after the conclusion of the Supercars races, and the track is still blockaded by concrete barriers. There is also an unused stretch of bitumen at Horsehose Beach.

Temporary plastic bollards were still in place at the Nobbys and Watt Street roundabouts and at the entrance to Horseshoe Beach Road.

The council commented on the track section in the park when they released the survey results, commenting that the plan to re-turf the park – preferred by 38 per cent of respondents – would “deny access to the park each summer as newly laid turf knitted and grew”.

“We will now follow due process to activate this long-dormant space by submitting a proposal to the Office of Environment and Heritage for assessment before finalising a project plan that incorporates all the elements to some extent,” the council’s chief executive officer, Jeremy Bath, said in a statement.

“Heritage interpretation elements through signage will be a key component of the project to relate stories from the history of the Coal River precinct.”

Although much of the grass and tree removal due to the purpose-built track was met with resistance from Newcastle East residents, council believes the foreshore has been “significantly improved” since the work completed for the Newcastle 500.

Improvements included road services, 84 more parking spaces, a dedicated bus drop-off area on Nobbys Road and the removal of a bottleneck area between Bathers Way and Joy Cummings Promenade.

Equipment installed in the park at Camp Shortland will be removable for Supercars and other events, council has confirmed.