With the Newcastle 500 five-year contract may expired, Newcastle Council is putting out the feelers to see if the community thinks the race contract should be renewed.
Last weekend’s event was the final race to be delivered under the agreement between City of Newcastle, Supercars Australia and Destination NSW signed in 2016.
As the bump out of infrastructure takes place in the city’s East End, consultation is underway through consultancy company KPMG, who are using a range of online, telephone and in-person surveys.
Supercars and Council have confirmed they are interested in holding more races in Newcastle which has raised concerns its already a done deal, but Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes said no decision has been made and Council are determined to hear the community’s feedback.
“If the NSW Government decides it wants to extend the Newcastle 500 for another five years then our Council will have the final decision on whether Newcastle continues as the host city.
“This feedback will allow councillors to better understand the community’s views on issues around liveability, economic benefit or challenges, perceptions of the event and its impact on the visitor economy.”
Thousands of people have already responded to an online survey launched last month ahead of the event, while face-to-face questionnaires completed during the race weekend will provide insight into the behaviours of racegoers, including their visitation to local businesses.
Randomised telephone surveys commenced this week to capture views from across Newcastle’s demographic profile while an upcoming letterbox drop of every property in the Newcastle local government area will include information on how to provide their feedback online.
Residents, business and industry representatives will be asked to provide additional commentary during four post-event stakeholder workshops next month, with the feedback from all consultation activities to be completed in a report to be released mid-year.
The online survey can be completed via the City of Newcastle website until 5pm on 31 March.