Revitalising Newcastle, a state government program, has lodged a development application with Newcastle City Council for the plaza and hopes to open it in the first half of next year.

The plan includes green space and paving and reusing the footbridge which once spanned the heavy rail line.

“Civic Station precinct is at the geographical heart of the Revitalising Newcastle program, and the design of the new public domain is something we are excited to share with the community,” Revitalising Newcastle director Michael Cassel said.

He said Revitalising Newcastle had worked with heritage experts and landscape architects to deliver an outcome “we believe is in line with what most people wanted”.

“We are looking to amend the former station to create a café in the heart of the original building, as well as remove parts of the building to open more north-south connections between Hunter Street and the waterfront.

“Importantly, we have worked hard to consider how people will use this space into the future.

“It will be an active hub with a light rail stop, thriving university, local museum and waterfront destination all within immediate proximity.

“Getting this right is important for the city.”

The DA proposes reinterpreting the former footbridge into the public domain design.

“The heritage experts and landscape architects have designed a way to celebrate the heritage of the footbridge, while also allowing the space to better connect the future university areas and the waterfront.

“The city is in the middle of significant transformation and we are really excited about revitalising this precinct into an attractive public domain that people will want to stay, play and really enjoy.”