A proposed new carriageway at Merewether faces another hurdle with an affected land owner saying he won't provide consent for it.
City of Newcastle is seeking to establish a new thoroughfare from Caldwell Street Park through to Merewether's main street after a publicly-used easement was blocked by a development at 33-37 Llewellyn Street.
The council claims a right of carriageway on the title at 33-37 Llewellyn Street was not adhered to after a large wall with a fire door was constructed as part of a residential development on the site.
But the developer argues the building was constructed as per the conditions with "unimpeded access" available to the council with a key for the fire door provided. They said public access was never "contemplated or required under the easement".
Council claims re-establishing public access through the site would require partial demolition of the building, and says its preferred option for public access would be through Merewether Fire Station land next door at 39 Llewellyn Street.
Fire and Rescue NSW confirmed it had received correspondence from council, and said it "will consider the correspondence, determine its position on the issue and then provide a response to council."
But the carriageway would also require amendments to an easement over 41-43 Llewellyn Street, which is a battle axe block that runs behind the fire station.
A co-owner of the land Ross Spencer said he would not grant consent for the carriageway.
"We'd be disadvantaged in our property value," he said.
"I don't really understand it. It's only 300 metres further to walk around.
"No one has been able to use it for three years."
Merewether Bowling Club secretary Lesley Afflick said the community had been willing to wait while the 33-37 Llewellyn Street development was built, but were disappointed about how the situation had played out.
"People have been really, really patient," she said. "But they still would like to access the walkway through.
"We had more than 100 people at a community meeting, a petition has close to 200 names as well.
"People at the club keep asking what's happening.
"It is a disadvantage to them to have to walk around."
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