New England Highway Urban Design Framework Urban Design Vision, Objectives and Design Principles for the Upgrade of the New England Highway

October 2016 COVER: NEW ENGLAND HIGHWAY VIEWED FROM MOONBI HILL

THIS PAGE: BUILT ELEMENTS ALONG THE HUNTER EXPRESSWAY FRAME VIEWS TO THE SURROUNDING LANDSCAPE

BACK COVER: NOISE WALLS ALONG THE HUNTER EXPRESSWAY REFERENCES THE ADJACENT VINEYARD CONTEXT New England Highway Design Framework

Contents

1.0 Introduction ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 1

2.0 Purpose ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 1

3.0 Methodology ����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 2

4.0 Analysis ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 4 4.1 History ����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 4 4.2 Rest Areas ����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 4 4.3 Regional Habitat Connectivity ����������������������������������������������������������������� 6 4.4 Pedestrian and Cycle Facilities ��������������������������������������������������������������� 6 4.5 Rail and Bus Networks ���������������������������������������������������������������������������� 7 4.6 Signage ��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 7 4.7 Views and Vistas: Natural and Built Landmarks ������������������������������������� 8 4.8 Landscape Character Zones ����������������������������������������������������������������� 10 5.0 Landscape Character Zone Sensitivity ��������������������������������������������������� 48

6.0 Corridor Strategy�������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 50 6.1 Corridor Objectives and Principles ������������������������������������������������������� 50 6.2 Corridor Challenges ������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 60 7.0 How to Use the Framework ���������������������������������������������������������������������� 66

8.0 References ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 67 New England Highway Design Framework

Figures

Figure 1: New England Highway - Overall Route ������������������������������������������������������������������������������3 Figure 2: Existing Rest Area locations along the New England Highway Corridor �������������������������5 Figure 3: Views and Vistas: Natural and Built Landmarks ����������������������������������������������������������������9 Figure 4: New England High Country - Northern Section ���������������������������������������������������������������15 Figure 5: Tenterfield ��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������16 Figure 6: Glen Innes �������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������18 Figure 7: New England High Country - Southern Section ��������������������������������������������������������������20 Figure 8: Guyra ��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������22 Figure 9: Armidale ����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������24 Figure 10: Uralla ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������26 Figure 11: Tamworth Valley and Liverpool Plains ������������������������������������������������������������������������������29 Figure 12: Kootingal ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������30 Figure 13: Tamworth ��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������32 Figure 14: Upper Hunter Country ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������35 Figure 15: Murrurundi ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������36 Figure 16: Scone ��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������38 Figure 17: Aberdeen ��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������40 Figure 18: Muswellbrook ��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������42 Figure 19: Singleton ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������44 Figure 20: Lower Hunter Country ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������47 Figure 21: New England Highway - Landscape Character Zone Sensitivity ������������������������������������49 Figure 22: New England Highway - Corridor Strategy and Challenges �������������������������������������������51 New England Highway Design Framework

1.0 Introduction The New England Highway, designated as the A15 or M15, is part of the National Land Transport Network between Sydney and Brisbane and provides an alternative inland route to the coastal Pacific Highway. It is an important hinterland transport corridor linking the Newcastle CBD on the coastline to Jennings/Wallangarra at the NSW/QLD border. It connects townships within the New England North West and Hunter Regions as well as performing a vital freight transport role linking inland mining areas in the Hunter to the Port of Newcastle. The Gwydir and Oxley Highways and Waterfall Way provide east-west road connections across the Great Dividing Range into the Upper and Mid North Coast and Northern Rivers regions, and provide important links to the west. The Main North Rail network operates to Armidale and provides an alternate freight and passenger access into the Hunter region. Key centres in the region located along the highway corridor route include the regional centres of Tamworth and Armidale. Major towns comprise Aberdeen, Singleton, Muswellbrook, Scone, Kootingal and Glenn Innes, and smaller towns such as Tenterfield, Guyra and a number of villages. The Hunter Expressway is the most recently constructed contiguous section of the New England Highway route extending from the M1 Motorway to Branxton. The high quality architectural design of the bridge and noise wall structures, in particular, creates a memorable journey experience. Completed, current or proposed improvements on the New England Highway include: • Tenterfield Heavy Vehicle Bypass • Bolivia Hill Upgrade • Scone Bypass • Fitzgerald Bridge at Aberdeen • Muswellbrook Bypass • Singleton Rail Underpass • Singleton Bypass • Belford to the Golden Highway • Rutherford Safety Improvements.

2.0 Purpose There are a number of projects currently in planning along the New England Highway route which have generated a need for an urban design framework to ensure a consistent urban design approach to any current or future road upgrades. It is intended that the Urban Design Framework will be utilised in the upgrade design process and give direction to any retrofitting to the corridor. The framework will also expedite the systematic preparations of environmental assessments for individual projects.

1 New England Highway Design Framework

3.0 Methodology A broad urban design analysis of the New England Highway was undertaken comprising desktop and field assessments to assess the regional corridor environment and at a more detailed local level the characteristics of the adjacent landscape. Characteristics assessed included: Geology, topography, ecology, culture, economy, road environment, land use, pedestrian/ cycle amenity, spatial quality, vegetation, hydrology, views, built form. Urban centres were mapped according to the Department of Planning and Environment designations in the appropriate Regional Plan for that region. Based on the broader analysis findings, the corridor was further divided into four distinct sub-regions (Refer Figure 1): • New England High Country • Tamworth Valley and Liverpool Plains • Upper Hunter Country • Lower Hunter Country These four sub-regions were further divided into landscape character zones, defined as being dominant characteristics of the road and adjacent roadside environment distinct to those immediately to the north and south. The terms ‘Urban’ and ‘Rural’ used in the landscape character zone in this context refer to whether or not the character zone is located within a town or identifiable locality. The urban areas were looked at in more detail and at a larger scale due to their diversity in comparison to the rural countryside. These include the regional centres of Tamworth and Armidale, major towns of Singleton, Muswellbrook, Scone, Kootingal and Glenn Innes, and towns such as Tenterfield and Guyra. Landscape Character zones were documented identifying similarities between them and unique points of interest. The Landscape Character zones’ sensitivity were rated from high to low. The sensitivity was determined based on an assessment of the landscape character zone and its degree of modification, amenity and sensitivity of receivers. For example industrial areas with a high degree of modification and low amenity were rated low. An area of forest is relatively pristine and has a high scenic quality and therefore a high sensitivity. This helped to identify areas in which character would ideally be protected with any upgrade to the corridor, areas where improvements could be made to improve road amenity and where constraints to road upgrades and improvements may be encountered. An Urban Design Strategy was formulated based on an understanding of the existing road corridor character and the landscape character zone qualities. The Strategy comprises a Vision, Objectives and Principles. It is expected that the objectives and principles will be adapted by each upgrade project to reflect the particularities of the area and project.

2 New England Highway Design Framework

Casino L allangarra BRUNER H S N ennings

Tenterfield

Sandy Flat

Bolivia ASHPOOL NATIONAL PARK

1509m

eepwater

arialda undee

GIR H NMBOIA NATIONAL PARK Grafton GLEN INNES

1244m Stonehenge Inverell GIR H 1255m

1235m Glencoe

1372m

GU FAKES RIVER NATIONAL PARK Llangothlin 1400m N A N E Guyra

A 1464m R

R Coffs Harbour A

N

G

E

1400m 1584m Bellingen

ARMIDALE NE ENGLAN NATIONAL PARK ATERFALL A

Uralla

1106m 1200m E G N A FOSSICKERS A R 1318m Bendemeer G N I D OLE H I OLE H 1036m V I D Moonbi T KOOTINGAL A E Kempsey TAMWORTH R G

ERRIKIMBE NATIONAL PARK

KAMILAROI H 1112m 1000m Port Macuarie

1352m allabadah

1227m illow Tree 1200m

Murrurundi New England Highway Hunter Expressway

1200m Pacific Highway LIVE ingen RPOOL RANGE Taree Secondary Road Highway Network Parkville BARRINGTON TOPS NATIONAL PARK Railway Line SCONE 1526m State Boundary

Aberdeen Great ividing Range RidgesSpurs MUSELLBROOK National ParksState Forests

ENMAN R Regional City Regional Centre

GOLEN H Major Town Town SINGLETON Village PACIFIC H Sub-regions: 1100m MAITLAND New England High Country Tamworth Valley CESSNOCK Upper Hunter Country OLLEMI NATIONAL PARK Lower Hunter Country NEWCASTLE 0 40km

Figure 1: New England Highway - Overall Route

3 New England Highway Design Framework

4.0 Analysis The New England Highway is a scenic, country hinterland road, defined by its relationship to the Great Dividing Range as it traverses the plains, plateaus, spurs and ranges. Views alternate between open rolling plains and pasturelands to enclosed wooded steeply sloping terrain. The highway has a distinct character from other National Highways, such as the Pacific and Hume Highways, due to its hinterland location, modest scale of the road corridor and integrated urban relationship to towns and villages. The highway journey is characterised by long stretches of highway through rich agricultural countryside/ grazing lands and hilly forested areas punctuated by regional centres, towns and villages. Vegetation reinforces the pattern of land use, alternating between enclosed forest to more open, scattered trees on pasture grasses. Towns and local landmarks provide legibility and interest in the journey experience. The Main North Rail Line weaves over, under and alongside the highway providing another unique reference point. The highway predominantly comprises a two lane road for most of its length, with widening for turning lanes or overtaking lanes. Separated carriageways are provided on limited sections at the Hunter Expressway, through the towns of Glenn Innes, Tamworth and in certain sections such as through the Moonbi foothills near Moonbi Lookout. The New England Highway Corridor traverses four distinct sub-regions, predominantly defined by the topography of the Great Dividing Range and the land uses in each section. They are: • New England High Country • Tamworth Valley and Liverpool Plains • Upper Hunter Country • Lower Hunter Country

4.1 History The New England Highway began as a track which developed north from Newcastle to reach the prime wool growing areas of the New England region. It was originally known as the Great Northern Road until 1928, then the Great Northern Highway (State Highway 9). At that time the route included sections of what has now become the Pacific Highway. It extended from Sydney to Queensland, via Newcastle, Hexham and Tenterfield. From Tenterfield it continued to the Queensland border near Mount Lindesay. In 1931, the North Coast Highway (State Highway 10) was renamed the Pacific Highway and extended south to Milsons Point and in 1933 the Great Northern Highway was renamed the New England Highway and officially originated at Hexham rather than Sydney. In 1954 Main Road 374, running from Tenterfield to Wallangarra, was redesignated as part of State Highway 9 and became part of the New England Highway rather than through Mount Lindesay. At this time the New England Highway was designated a National Route Number 151.

4.2 Rest Areas Refer Figure 2. Rest Areas have been provided along the highway alignment, between towns and villages, usually aligned with a natural landmark/features or scenic point of interest such as the Rest Areas at Bluff Rock, Moonbi Lookout or the First Fleet Park at Wallabadah. Rest Areas vary from those offering a full range of amenities (picnic shelters, toilet facilities etc) to layover areas provided as pull in bays for freight driver change over. Rest Areas are under varied ownership - RMS or Council - and asset maintenance varies.

1 http://www.newenglandnorthwest.com.au/content_common/pg-new-england-highway-scenic-drive.seo

4 New England Highway Design Framework

Casino L allangarra BRUNER H S N ennings

Tenterfield TENTERFIEL CREEK REST AREA RMS

BLUFF ROCK LOOKOUT REST AREA RMS Sandy Flat

Bolivia BOLIVIA HILL REST AREA RMS

eepwater

arialda HERITAGE PARK BANK OF BEAR CREEK HEAV LIGHT VEHICLE REST AREA COUNCIL undee

GLEN INNES EAST AVENUE HEAV LIGHT VEHICLE REST AREA COUNCIL GIR H Grafton GLEN INNES CELTIC COUNTR - REBANK Stonehenge HEAV LIGHT VEHICLE REST AREA RMS Inverell GIR H BALANCING ROCK VIEING SITE HEAV LIGHT VEHICLE REST AREA RMS Glencoe

Llangothlin

Guyra GURA LIGHT VEHICLE REST AREA COUNCIL Coffs Harbour

LIONS PARK LIGHT VEHICLE REST AREA OTHER Bellingen ARMIDALE

ATERFALL A

Uralla BARLE FIELS ROA LIGHT VEHICLE REST AREA COUNCIL MUSELL HILL HEAV LIGHT VEHICLE REST AREA RMS KABIA BENEMEER AR MEMORIAL PARK LIGHT VEHICLE REST AREA RMS LIGHT VEHICLE REST AREA COUNCIL

Bendemeer

OLE H OLE H Moonbi MOONBI LOOKOUT KOOTINGAL LIGHT VEHICLE REST AREA OTHER Kempsey GLEN AR TAMWORTH LIGHT VEHICLE REST AREA RMS MOONBI LIGHT VEHICLE REST AREA COUNCIL FEERATION PARK KOOTINGAL LIGHT VEHICLE REST AREA COUNCIL

ROTARLIONS PARK - TAMORTH LIGHT VEHICLE REST AREA OTHER

KAMILAROI H

Port Macuarie

allabadah

ALLABAAH TON LIGHT VEHICLE REST AREA COUNCIL illow Tree

NE ENGLAN HIGHA MURRURUNI LIGHT VEHICLE REST AREA RMS Murrurundi CLARK STREET REST AREA BLANFOR LIGHT VEHICLE REST AREA COUNCIL PROFESSIONAL RO PARK LIGHT VEHICLE REST AREA COUNCIL BURNING MOUNTAIN HEAV LIGHT VEHICLE REST AREA STATE FORESTS New England Highway ingen Taree Hunter Expressway Parkville Pacific Highway

SCONE SecondaryNew England Road Highway HunterHighway Expressway Network TALOR PARK Railway Line Aberdeen LIGHT VEHICLE REST AREA COUNCIL Pacific Highway VIETNAM MEMORIAL REST AREA State Boundary LIGHT VEHICLE REST AREA COUNCIL Secondary Road MUSELLBROOK GreatHighway ividing Network Range ENMAN R RailwayRidgesSpurs Line

RIS CREEK NationalState Boundary ParksState Forests HEAV LIGHT VEHICLE REST AREA RMS GOLEN H RegionalGreat ividing City Range RegionalRidgesSpurs Centre SINGLETON MajorNational Town ParksState Forests

TONHEA PARK PACIFIC H RegionalTown City LIGHT VEHICLE REST AREA COUNCIL ITTINGHAM REST AREA RegionalVillage Centre LIGHT VEHICLE REST AREA RMS MAITLAND MajorSub-regions: Town CESSNOCK Town ATTAKA REST AREAS New England High Country HEAV LIGHT VEHICLE REST AREA RMS TamworthVillage Valley NEWCASTLE 0 40km UpperSub-regions: Hunter Country LowerNew England Hunter HighCountry Country Figure 2: Existing Rest Area locations along the New England Highway Corridor Tamworth Valley Upper Hunter Country 5 Lower Hunter Country New England Highway Design Framework

4.3 Regional Habitat Connectivity Ultimately the NSW government strategy includes rehabilitation of the adjacent landscape where mining is currently occurring. The Upper Hunter Valley Link has been identified as part of the national Great Eastern Ranges initiative to enhance north-south connectivity. The aim of conservation planning will be to protect large patches of existing vegetation between the Wollemi National Park, Manobalai Nature Reserve and Barrington Tops National Park through the ongoing management and progressive rehabilitation of mining activities.

4.4 Pedestrian and Cycle Facilities Larger towns and villages tend to have kerbed verges with full width footpaths in the main town centres and narrower width footpaths with grassed verges on the town centre edges. In some places such as Tamworth, Murrurundi and Guyra some on road cycle facilities are also provided. Smaller villages are generally not kerbed, have limited footpaths and no cycle facilities. As part of the road upgrade works at Aberdeen, a new bridge was built replacing the existing two single lane bridges. The existing southbound heritage metal lattice truss bridge, built in 1893 was retained for use by pedestrians and cyclists, improving cyclist and pedestrian safety through this section of highway and retaining a heritage landmark.

THE ROAD THROUGH MURRURUNDI FEATURES BIKE LANES ON EITHER SIDE THE HERITAGE RAIL BRIDGE AT ABERDEEN HAS BEEN REPURPOSED TO NOW FORM PART OF THE CYCLEWAY

6 New England Highway Design Framework

4.5 Rail and Bus Networks The Main North Railway operates to Armidale only and provides freight and passenger rail transport. A commuter service operates from Hamilton to Scone via Singleton. The railway is visible at many locations along the highway as it runs alongside the highway alignment or weaves around underneath. There is currently a level crossing at Scone for which a strategic design has been prepared to remove this crossing. Previously the railway operated to the border at Wallangara where it had to change gauge to continue into Queensland. The section from Armidale to Wallangara is not in operation and some of the rail bridges are failing.

THE MAIN NORTH RAILWAY IS VISIBLE AT MANY LOCATIONS FROM THE NEW ENGLAND HIGHWAY

Bus Networks include local and regional services. Local bus networks include school buses. Regional Bus routes for the New England sub region include Tamworth to Coffs Harbour via Armidale, University of New England, Uralla, Bendemeer and Moonbi. Tamworth to Brisbane bus service is via Moonbi, Bendemeer, Uralla, University of New England, Armidale, Guyra, Glen Innes, Deepwater, Tenterfield and Wallangarra. Regional Tamworth Valley services include to Quirindi, Bendemeer, Manilla, Attunga, Hallsville, Moonbi, Kootingal and Nundle. Upper Hunter bus services operate to Murrurundi, Muswellbrook, Aberdeen, Scone and Denman. Lower Hunter Bus services link Singleton through to Newcastle.

4.6 Signage Some towns and villages have Council signage that is individual character to the town or village.

TOWN SIGNAGE AT MURRURUNDI WTOWN SIGNAGE AT URALLA

7 New England Highway Design Framework

4.7 Views and Vistas: Natural and Built Landmarks Refer Figure 3. The following are nine key natural landmarks of the New England Highway. Along with the towns and communities along the route, they form important milestones along the journey. • Bluff Rock • Bolivia Hill • Thunderbolts Rock • Great Dividing Range • Nandewar Mountain Range • Moonbi Hill • Liverpool Mountain Range • Hunter River at Aberdeen • Hunter River at Singleton

As well as these natural landmarks there are a number of built landmarks on the highway which include: • Grain Loading Facility at Willow Tree • Willow Tree Inn • The Big Golden Guitar at Tamworth • First Fleet Park Wallabadah • Aberdeen Heritage Metal Lattice Truss Bridge • Muswellbrook Memorial Grove • Muswellbrook Railway Bridge • Liddell Power Station • Bayswater Power Station • Sugarloaf Ranges • Sequence of distinctive banded walled abutment bridges on the Hunter Expressway

GRAIN LOADING FACILITY NORTH OF MURRURUNDI THE BIG GOLDEN GUITAR AT TAMWORTH THUNDERBOLTS ROCKS SOUTH OF URALLA BLUFF ROCK SOUTH OF TENTERFIELD

8 New England Highway Hunter Expressway Pacific Highway Secondary Road Highway Network Railway Line State Boundary High points Great ividing Range RidgesSpurs Regional City Regional Centre Major Town Town Village New England Highway Design Framework Landmarks: Landmarks: 1 Bluff Rock Casino L allangarra BRUNER H S 2 Bolivia Hill N ennings 3 Thunderbolts Rock 4 Moonbi Hill

5 The Big Golden Guitar Tenterfield TENTERFIEL CREEK 6 First Fleet Park REST AREA RMS 7 Grain Loading Facility 1 BLUFF ROCK LOOKOUT 8 Aberdeen Heritage Bridge REST AREA RMS 9 Muswellbrook Memorial Grove Sandy Flat 10 Muswellbrook Railway Bridge Bolivia ASHPOOL BOLIVIA HILLNATIONAL PARK 11 Liddell Power Station 2 REST AREA RMS 12 Bayswater Power Station 1509m 13 Bridges on the Hunter Expressway eepwater 14 Sugarloaf Ranges arialda HERITAGE PARK BANK OF BEAR CREEK HEAV LIGHT VEHICLE REST AREA COUNCIL undee GLEN INNES EAST AVENUE GIR H HEAV LIGHT VEHICLE REST AREA COUNCIL NMBOIA NATIONAL PARK Grafton GLEN INNES CELTIC COUNTR - REBANK 1244m Stonehenge HEAV LIGHT VEHICLE REST AREA RMS Inverell GIRGIR H H 1255m BALANCING ROCK VIEING SITE HEAV LIGHT VEHICLE REST AREA RMS 1235m Glencoe

1372m

GU FAKES RIVER NATIONAL PARK Llangothlin 1400m N A N E Guyra GURA

A LIGHT VEHICLE REST AREA COUNCIL 1464m R

R Coffs Harbour A

N

G

E

LIONS PARK1400m LIGHT VEHICLE REST AREA OTHER 1584m Bellingen

ARMIDALE NE ENGLAN NATIONAL PARK ATERFALL A

Uralla BARLE FIELS ROA LIGHT VEHICLE REST AREA COUNCIL 3 MUSELL HILL 1106m HEAV LIGHT VEHICLE REST AREA RMS 1200m KABIA E G BENEMEER AR MEMORIAL PARK LIGHT VEHICLE REST AREA RMS N LIGHT VEHICLE REST AREA COUNCIL A R 1318m Bendemeer G N I D OLE H I OLE H 4 1036m V I D Moonbi MOONBI LOOKOUT T KOOTINGAL LIGHT VEHICLE REST AREA OTHER A Kempsey GLEN AR E TAMWORTH LIGHT VEHICLE REST AREA RMS R 5 G MOONBI LIGHT VEHICLE REST AREA COUNCIL ERRIKIMBE FEERATION PARK KOOTINGAL NATIONAL PARK LIGHT VEHICLE REST AREA COUNCIL

ROTARLIONS PARK - TAMORTH LIGHT VEHICLE REST AREA OTHER

KAMILAROI H 1112m 1000m Port Macuarie

1352m 6 allabadah

ALLABAAH TON LIGHT VEHICLE REST AREA COUNCIL 7 1227m illow Tree 1200m

NE ENGLAN HIGHA MURRURUNI LIGHT VEHICLE REST AREA RMS Murrurundi CLARK STREET REST AREA BLANFOR LIGHT VEHICLE REST AREA COUNCIL PROFESSIONAL RO PARK LIGHT VEHICLE REST AREA COUNCIL BURNING MOUNTAIN 1200m HEAV LIGHT VEHICLE REST AREA STATE FORESTS LIVE ingen RPOOL RANGE Taree

Parkville BARRINGTON TOPS New England Highway NATIONAL PARK Hunter Expressway SCONE 1526m Pacific Highway

TALOR PARK 8 Aberdeen LIGHT VEHICLE REST AREA COUNCIL Secondary Road VIETNAM MEMORIAL REST AREA Highway Network LIGHT VEHICLE REST AREA COUNCIL 10 9 MUSELLBROOK Railway Line

ENMAN R 11 State Boundary High points 12 RIS CREEK HEAV LIGHT VEHICLE REST AREA RMS GOLEN H Great ividing Range RidgesSpurs SINGLETON Regional City

TONHEA PARK PACIFIC H Regional Centre LIGHT VEHICLE REST AREA COUNCIL 1100m ITTINGHAM REST AREA Major Town LIGHT VEHICLE REST AREA RMS MAITLAND Town 13 CESSNOCK Village ATTAKA REST AREAS OLLEMI HEAV LIGHT VEHICLE REST AREA RMS 14 NATIONAL PARK NEWCASTLE 0 40km Landmarks: Landmarks: Figure 3: Views and Vistas: Natural and Built Landmarks 1 Bluff Rock 2 Bolivia Hill 3 Thunderbolts Rock 4 Moonbi Hill 9 5 The Big Golden Guitar 6 First Fleet Park 7 Grain Loading Facility 8 Aberdeen Heritage Bridge 9 Muswellbrook Memorial Grove 10 Muswellbrook Railway Bridge 11 Liddell Power Station 12 Bayswater Power Station 13 Bridges on the Hunter Expressway 14 Sugarloaf Ranges

New England Highway Design Framework

4.8 Landscape Character Zones The route character was further analysed and mapped by landscape character zones to understand commonalities over the entire route. The following table provides a description of the character zone by land use, built form, vegetation and pedestrian/ cycle amenity.

Typology Defining Characteristic(s) description

Urban Residential Land use Residential. Occasional other land use eg motel, corner shop, interspersed between dwelling buildings. Built form Mostly single storey detached dwellings. Occasional multi-storey (generally maximum two storey) detached dwellings or apartment buildings. Buildings setback from corridor boundary. Vegetation Highly individualised by each lot owner. Pedestrian/cycle amenity Varied across the corridor. Discontinuous and narrow paths discourage use. Urban Services Land use Large scale service industries for travel/ tourism/ freight such as petrol stations, hotels, information centres. Built form Low scale, 1-2 storey utilitarian structures with large footprint carparks/ service areas. Pedestrian/cycle amenity Discontinuous or absent pathways; where paths are present they feel subservient to driveway crossings. Urban Industrial Land use Light industrial and bulky goods retail. Built form Large, slab-sided factory/warehouse buildings. Car parking and signage often between building and kerb. Pedestrian/cycle amenity Discontinuous or absent pathways; where paths are present they feel subservient to driveway crossings. Urban Civic Land use Civic buildings such as court houses, council chambers, cultural centres, galleries. Built form Cultural buildings with architectural or heritage quality usually arranged in combination with each other forming focal points for urban centres. Pedestrian/cycle amenity Usually continuous, reasonably wide paths in front of buildings, however limited connections provided external to civic precincts in adjacent areas.

10 New England Highway Design Framework

Landscape Character Zones (cont.)

Typology Defining Characteristic(s) description

Urban Retail Town Land use Small scale retail or service outlets such as shops, Centre cafes, services (banks, doctors surgeries etc) Small scale retail or service outlets such as shops, cafes, services (banks, doctors surgeries etc), mixed use/ residential in the form of shop top housing, occasional house. Built form Attached or closely spaced shopfronts with awnings, mostly two storey, usually on both verges. Spatial quality Enclosed built edge to highway - buildings line both sides of the corridor. Economy Retail trade forms local focus for economy with shops serving residents and tourists as well as forming source of livelihood for shop owners. Pedestrian/cycle amenity Awnings and wide footpaths mean amenity of these areas is generally high. Level of use of paths suggests pedestrian and cycle conflict. Urban Retail– Large Land use Large scale retail outlets such as supermarkets, shopping malls, service stations and chain fast food restaurants. Built form Large shopping-mall type buildings usually from pre-cast concrete tilt-up panels or facades displaying featurism. Single-story buildings built to two-storey height. Spatial quality Open due to these areas being located in areas with wide road reserves, large setbacks and large at ground carparks. Economy Shopping centre provides local employment, but draws trade away from smaller retail shops/ main streets. Pedestrian/cycle amenity Inconsistent level of amenity provided across the corridor.

11 New England Highway Design Framework

Landscape Character Zones (cont.)

Typology Defining Characteristic(s) description

Urban Open Space Land use Formal and informal recreation use including parks and playing fields Vegetation Generally restricted to canopy level (i.e. trees) in groups of varying density with turf understorey, but sometimes denser against road forming edge to area Spatial quality Open due to large areas of turf for active or passive recreation Urban River/Creek/ Views Views of waterway from approaches and when Riparian crossing. Built form Bridge structure crossing waterway Vegetation Cultural planting often along watercourse on both banks perpendicular to highway.

Hydrology River of appreciable width, act of crossing it gives notable sense of transition Rural Agriculture Land use Agricultural, most commonly grazing/ cattle farm with occasional crops Vegetation Cleared understorey with clusters of remnant trees Topography Flat to rolling plains/ hills Spatial quality Open to partially enclosed depending on vegetation Rural Lake/ Vegetation Occasionally taller at extremities such as remnant Watercourse forest. Low lying on fringes of water body in form of sedges or grasses. Where in proximity to human activity, sometimes in form of turf. Hydrology Lake, river, creek or swamp of varying widths and depths Topography At base of gentle to steep inclinations Views Views along road on approach to waterway, and outwards from road when traversing waterway, in particular Lake Liddell and Hunter River.

12 New England Highway Design Framework

Landscape Character Zones (cont.)

Typology Defining Characteristic(s) description

Rural Residential Land use Medium scale allotments usually as part of a working farm, usually on approaches to rural centres Built form Large residential buildings with landscape curtilage Vegetation Open to semi-enclosed woodland of remnant or regrowth plantings with cleared understorey, usually mown. Exotic plantings also common. Perimeter/ fence tree plantings common. Rural Forest Vegetation Forest of remnant or regrowth trees with intact understorey adjacent to travel lanes or with cleared areas to accommodate overhead power lines. Topography Gently to steeply undulating. Spatial Quality Enclosed due to vegetation. Ecology Forest may occasionally be formed from threatened species or endangered communities. Forest will also form habitat for threatened species. Views Confined to road corridor, sometimes frames views to Dividing Ranges in the distance.

13 New England Highway Design Framework

4.8.1 New England High Country The New England High Country comprises about half of the New England Highway route. It is part of the New England Tablelands, a plateau and region of the Great Dividing Range. The northern extent of the New England High Country is defined by the border with Queensland and the southern extent by the foothills of the Moonbi Range. The plateau starts at 1000 metres above sea level climbing to 1400 metres near Armidale, Australia’s highest city at 980 metres above sea level. The soil is derived from granite rocks with extensive sandy loams. This provides distinctive rock boulder clusters along the highway route such as Bluff Rock south of Tenterfield and Thunderbolts Rocks south of Uralla. Bolivia Hill is a notable climb and descent to Bolivia and Sandy Flat. The Moonbi Range is another notable uphill climb as the motorist ascends from Moonbi to the Northern Tablelands and the village of Bendemeer. (Refer Figure 4 and Refer Figure 7) The route character comprises long stretches of highway through agricultural/ grazing lands, hilly forested areas and town centres/ villages and town centre/ village edges. Through the town of Tenterfield, the highway passes through the centre of town with picturesque heritage buildings adjoining the highway. The corridor is narrow, with parallel parking and narrower footpaths and buildings with no setbacks to the street. (Refer Figure 5) Glenn Innes is a major town centre. Through Glenn Innes the highway route avoids the main town centre and is a divided carriageway with a central landscaped/ paved median, planted roundabouts at road intersections and a footpath on both sides for the main five blocks and a narrow footpath on one edge only. (Refer Figure 6) Guyra is a small town, the highway route avoids the main town centre, with a wide corridor, narrow footpaths on both sides and generous building setbacks. (Refer Figure 8) Armidale is a major regional centre but the highway bypasses the main town centre to the west through a previous upgrade. Large round-a-bouts make the entry/exit points to Armidale Town Centre. (Refer Figure 9) Through the town of Uralla, the highway passes through the centre of town with picturesque heritage buildings adjoining the highway. The road corridor is generous in width with rear to kerb parking, wide footpaths and streetscape planting and lighting. (Refer Figure 10) Through smaller villages, in comparison to larger towns, the road corridor is generally not kerbed, there are few footpaths and buildings have large setbacks.

LOOKING SOUTH FROM THE QUEENSLAND BORDER VIEW TO BLUFF ROCK FROM THE BLUFF ROCK REST AREA BOLIVIA HILL

VIEW WEST FROM BLUFF ROCK REST AREA

14 New England Highway Design Framework

L allangarra BRUNER H S N ennings Glen Lyon Creek Tarban Creek Tenterfield Creek

Tenterfield REFER FIGURE 5

TENTERFIELD LGA 1 Bluff River Sandy Flat

Bolivia

2

eepwater River eepwater

GLEN INNES SEVERN SHIRE LGA Severn River undee INVERELL LGA New England Highway Beardy aters Hunter Expressway Pacific Highway New England Highway Secondary Road HunterNew England Expressway Highway Highway Network PacificHunter HighwayExpressway Railway Line GLEN INNES SecondaryPacific Highway Road REFER FIGURE 6 State Boundary SecondaryHighway Network Road LGA Boundary Inverell Stonehenge RailwayHighway Line Network GIR H High points StateRailway Boundary Line State RegionalBoundary City Beardy aters LGA Boundary Regional Centre HighLGA Boundarypoints New England Highway Major Town RegionalHigh points City Hunter Expressway Town 1400m Glencoe Regional CentreCity Pacific Highway Village MajorRegional Town Centre Secondary Road Rural Agriculturalgraing Highway Network MajorTown Town Rural Forest Railway Line VillageTown Rural watercourse crossing State Boundary RuralVillage Agriculturalgraing Great ividing Range LGA Boundary Rural ForestAgriculturalgraing Rural RidgesSpursForest New England Highway High points Rural watercourse crossing 0 25km Euine Industry GURA Hunter Expressway Regional City GreatRural watercourseividing Range crossing Ryanda Creek Aberfoyle River Mine LGA Pacific Highway Regional Centre GreatRidgesSpurs ividing Range Llangothlin GURA Upper Hunter Valley Secondary Road Major Town 1400m EuineRidgesSpurs Industry LGA North South Habitat Highway Network Town EuineMine Connectivity Industry Railway Line Village Landmarks: UpperMine Hunter Valley North South Habitat State Boundary Rural Agriculturalgraing 1 Upper Bluff Hunter Rock Valley Guyra Connectivity LGA Boundary 2 North Bolivia South HillHabitat Rural Forest Connectivity High points Landmarks:3 Thunderbolts Rock Rural watercourse crossing Landmarks:4 Moonbi Hill Regional City 1 Bluff Rock Figure 4: New England High Country - Northern Great ividing Section Range 12 5 BluffBolivia Rock The Hill Big Golden Guitar Regional Centre RidgesSpurs 23 6 BoliviaThunderbolts First Hill Fleet Rock Park Major Town 34 7 ThunderboltsMoonbi Grain Hill Loading Rock Facility Tilbuster Ponds Euine Industry 15 8 Aberdeen Heritage Bridge Town 45 MoonbiThe Big HillGolden Guitar Mine 56 9 TheFirst BigFleet Muswellbrook Golden Park Guitar Memorial Grove Village Upper Hunter Valley 67 10 FirstGrain Fleet MuswellbrookLoading Park Facility Railway Bridge 11 Liddell Power Station Rural Agriculturalgraing 1400m North South Habitat 78 GrainAberdeen Loading Heritage Facility Bridge 12 Bayswater Power Station Rural Forest Connectivity 89 AberdeenMuswellbrook Heritage Memorial Bridge Grove uval Creek 10 ARMIDALE13 Muswellbrook Hunter Expressway Railway Bridge Bridges Landmarks: 9 Muswellbrook Memorial Grove Rural watercourse crossing 1011 DUMARES14 MuswellbrookLiddell Sugarloaf Power StationRailway Ranges Bridge 1 Bluff Rock Great ividing Range 1112 LiddellBayswaterLGA Power Power Station Station 2 Bolivia Hill 1213 BayswaterHunter Expressway Power Station Bridges RidgesSpurs ARMIDALE3 Thunderbolts Rock URALLA umares Creek 1314 HunterSugarloaf Expressway Ranges Bridges Euine Industry 4 Moonbi Hill 14 Sugarloaf Ranges LGA Mine 5 The Big Golden Guitar Saumare Creek 6 First Fleet Park ATERFALL A Upper Hunter Valley 7 Grain Loading Facility North South Habitat 8 Aberdeen Heritage Bridge Connectivity 9 Muswellbrook Memorial Grove Landmarks: Uralla 10 Muswellbrook Railway Bridge 1 Bluff Rock 11 Liddell Power Station 2 Bolivia Hill 12 Bayswater Power Station 3 Thunderbolts Rock 3 13 Hunter Expressway Bridges 4 MoonbiKentucky Hill Creek 14 Sugarloaf Ranges 5 The Big Golden Guitar 6 First Fleet Park 1200m Carlisles Gully 7 Grain Loading Facility 8 Aberdeen Heritage Bridge 9 Muswellbrook Memorial Grove 10 Muswellbrook Railway Bridge FOSSICKERS A 11 Liddell Power Station Macdonald River 12 Bayswater Power Station Bendemeer 13 Hunter Expressway Bridges 14 Sugarloaf Ranges

TAMWORTH WALCHA REGIONAL LGA LGA 4 1200m Moonbi Creek OLE H Moonbi New England Highway Design Framework

4.8.1.1 Tenterfield

MT LINESA R

TENTERFIEL CK

BRUNER H

Urban Services Urban Residential Urban Industrial Urban Retail/Town Centre Urban Retail Large Urban Open Space Urban Services Urban River/Creek/Riparian Urban Residential Rural Agriculture Urban Industrial Rural Residential Urban Retail/Town Centre Rural Forest Urban Retail Large Rural Lake/ zWatercourse Urban Open Space Railway Line Urban River/Creek/Riparian Disused Railway Line Urban Services Rural Agriculture Town Centre Urban Residential Rural Residential (if not on New England Highway) Urban Industrial Rural Forest Water crossing Urban Retail/Town Centre Rural Lake/ zWatercourse Landmark item Urban Retail Large Railway Line Urban Open Space Disused Railway Line Urban River/Creek/Riparian Town Centre Rural Agriculture (if not on New England Highway) Rural Residential Water crossing Figure 5:Rural Tenterfield Forest Landmark item Rural Lake/ zWatercourse Railway Line 16 Disused Railway Line Town Centre (if not on New England Highway) Water crossing Landmark item New England Highway Design Framework

TENTERFIELD TOWN CENTRE

TENTERFIELD POST OFFICE AT INTERSECTION OF MANNERS STREET AND NEW ENGLAND HIGHWAY PLANTING THROUGH TOWN CENTRE ALONG NEW ENGLAND HIGHWAY

• the highway passes through the centre of town • parallel parking • picturesque heritage buildings adjoining the highway • narrow footpaths • narrow corridor • no setbacks to the street

17 New England Highway Design Framework

4.8.1.2 Glen Innes

GIR H

GIR H

Urban Services Urban Residential Urban Industrial Urban Retail/Town Centre Urban Retail Large Urban Open Space Urban Services Urban River/Creek/Riparian Urban Residential Rural Agriculture Urban Industrial Rural Residential Urban Retail/Town Centre Rural Forest Urban Retail Large Rural Lake/ zWatercourse Urban Open Space Railway Line Urban River/Creek/Riparian Disused Railway Line Urban Services Rural Agriculture Town Centre Urban Residential Rural Residential (if not on New England Highway) Urban Industrial Rural Forest Water crossing Urban Retail/Town Centre Rural Lake/ zWatercourse Landmark item Urban Retail Large Railway Line Urban Open Space Disused Railway Line Urban River/Creek/Riparian Town Centre Rural Agriculture (if not on New England Highway) Rural Residential Water crossing Figure 6:Rural Glen Forest Innes Landmark item Rural Lake/ zWatercourse Railway Line 18 Disused Railway Line Town Centre (if not on New England Highway) Water crossing Landmark item New England Highway Design Framework

PLANTED MEDIAN IN CORRIDOR THROUGH GLEN INNES. PLANTED ROUNDABOUT AT INTERSECTION OF NEW ENGLAND HIGHWAY AND GWYDIR HIGHWAY.

PLANTED MEDIAN IN CORRIDOR THROUGH GLEN INNES. GLEN INNES. TOWN CENTRE (NOT ON NEW ENGLAND HIGHWAY)

• major town centre • the highway route avoids the main town centre • planted roundabouts at road intersections • divided carriageway with a central landscaped/ paved • footpath on both sides for the main five blocks median • narrow footpath on one edge only on town edges

19 L allangarra BRUNER H S N ennings Glen Lyon Creek Tarban Creek Tenterfield Creek

Tenterfield

TENTERFIELD LGA 1 Bluff River Sandy Flat

Bolivia

2

eepwater River eepwater

GLEN INNES SEVERN SHIRE LGA Severn River undee New England Highway DesignINVERELL Framework LGA Beardy aters

GLEN INNES

Inverell GIR H Stonehenge

Beardy aters

1400m Glencoe

GURA Ryanda Creek Aberfoyle River LGA Llangothlin 1400m GURA LGA

Guyra REFER FIGURE 8

Tilbuster Ponds

1400m uval Creek ARMIDALE DUMARES REFER FIGURE 9 LGA ARMIDALE URALLA umares Creek LGA Saumare Creek ATERFALL A

New England Highway Uralla Hunter Expressway REFER New FIGURE England 10 Highway Pacific Highway Hunter Expressway 3 Secondary Road Pacific Highway Kentucky Creek New England Highway HighwayNetwork Secondary Road HunterNew England Railway Expressway LineHighway 1200m Highway Network Carlisles Gully PacificHunter State HighwayExpressway Boundary Railway Line SecondaryPacific LGA Highway Boundary Road State Boundary SecondaryHighway High Network points Road Highway LGA Network Boundary FOSSICKERS A Railway Regional Line City High points Macdonald River StateRailway RegionalBoundary Line Centre Regional City Bendemeer LGAState Boundary MajorBoundary Town Regional Centre HighLGA BoundaryTownpoints New England Highway Major Town RegionalHigh Villagepoints City TAMWORTH Hunter Expressway Town WALCHA Regional Rural CentreCity Agriculturalgraing REGIONAL Pacific Highway Village LGA MajorRegional Town Centre LGA 4 1200m Secondary Road Rural Forest Major Rural Town Agriculturalgraing Moonbi Creek Highway Network OLE H Town Rural watercourse crossing Rural Forest Railway Line VillageTown Great ividing Range Moonbi Rural watercourse crossing State Boundary RuralVillage RidgesSpursAgriculturalgraing Great ividing Range LGA Boundary Rural EuineForestAgriculturalgraing Industry Rural RidgesSpursForest New England Highway High points Rural Minewatercourse crossing 0 25km Euine Industry Hunter Expressway Regional City GreatRural Upper watercourseividing Hunter Range crossing Valley Mine Pacific Highway Regional Centre GreatRidgesSpurs North ividing South Range Habitat UpperConnectivity Hunter Valley Secondary Road Major Town EuineRidgesSpurs Industry Landmarks: North South Habitat Highway Network Town EuineMine Connectivity Industry 1 Bluff Rock Railway Line UpperMine Hunter Valley Village 2Landmarks: Bolivia Hill North South Habitat State Boundary Rural Agriculturalgraing 13 Upper BluffThunderbolts Hunter Rock Valley Rock Connectivity LGA Boundary 24 North BoliviaMoonbi South HillHabitat Hill Rural Forest Connectivity High points Landmarks:35 ThunderboltsThe Big Golden Rock Guitar Rural watercourse crossing Landmarks:46 MoonbiFirst Fleet Hill Park Regional City 1 Bluff Rock Figure 7: New England High Country - Southern Great ividing Section Range 12 57 BluffBolivia Rock TheGrain Hill Big Loading Golden Facility Guitar Regional Centre RidgesSpurs 23 68 BoliviaThunderbolts FirstAberdeen Hill Fleet Rock HeritagePark Bridge Major Town 34 79 ThunderboltsMoonbi GrainMuswellbrook Hill Loading Rock MemorialFacility Grove Euine Industry 20 810 AberdeenMuswellbrook Heritage Railway Bridge Bridge Town 45 MoonbiThe Big HillGolden Guitar Mine 56 911 TheFirst BigFleet MuswellbrookLiddell Golden Park Power Guitar StationMemorial Grove Village Upper Hunter Valley 67 1012 FirstGrain Fleet MuswellbrookBayswaterLoading Park Facility Power Railway Station Bridge Rural Agriculturalgraing North South Habitat 78 1113 GrainAberdeen LiddellHunterLoading Heritage PowerExpressway Facility StationBridge Bridges 1214 BayswaterSugarloaf Ranges Power Station Rural Forest Connectivity 89 AberdeenMuswellbrook Heritage Memorial Bridge Grove 10 13 Muswellbrook Hunter Expressway Railway Bridge Bridges Landmarks: 9 Muswellbrook Memorial Grove Rural watercourse crossing 1011 14 MuswellbrookLiddell Sugarloaf Power StationRailway Ranges Bridge Great ividing Range 1 Bluff Rock 1112 LiddellBayswater Power Power Station Station 2 Bolivia Hill RidgesSpurs 1213 BayswaterHunter Expressway Power Station Bridges 3 Thunderbolts Rock 1314 HunterSugarloaf Expressway Ranges Bridges Euine Industry 4 Moonbi Hill 14 Sugarloaf Ranges Mine 5 The Big Golden Guitar 6 First Fleet Park Upper Hunter Valley 7 Grain Loading Facility North South Habitat 8 Aberdeen Heritage Bridge Connectivity 9 Muswellbrook Memorial Grove Landmarks: 10 Muswellbrook Railway Bridge 1 Bluff Rock 11 Liddell Power Station 2 Bolivia Hill 12 Bayswater Power Station 3 Thunderbolts Rock 13 Hunter Expressway Bridges 4 Moonbi Hill 14 Sugarloaf Ranges 5 The Big Golden Guitar 6 First Fleet Park 7 Grain Loading Facility 8 Aberdeen Heritage Bridge 9 Muswellbrook Memorial Grove 10 Muswellbrook Railway Bridge 11 Liddell Power Station 12 Bayswater Power Station 13 Hunter Expressway Bridges 14 Sugarloaf Ranges New England Highway Design Framework

EUROPEAN PLANTINGS ALONG FENCELINES - TYPICAL OF THE NEW ENGLAND HIGH COUNTRY.

VIEWS TO THE SURROUNDING LANDSCAPE AROUND THUNDERBOLTS ROCKS. TYPICAL OPEN WOODLANDS ADJACENT TO THE NEW ENGLAND HIGHWAY AROUND URALLLA.

VIEWS WEST TO THE MOONBI RANGE FOOTHILLS FROM THE NEW ENGLAND HIGHWAY SOUTH OF URALLA.

21 New England Highway Design Framework

4.8.1.3 Guyra

GURA-EBOR R

TINGHA R

Urban Services Urban Residential Urban Industrial Urban Retail/Town Centre Urban Retail Large Urban Open Space Urban Services Urban River/Creek/Riparian Urban Residential Rural Agriculture Urban Industrial Rural Residential Urban Retail/Town Centre Rural Forest Urban Retail Large Rural Lake/ zWatercourse Urban Open Space Railway Line Urban River/Creek/Riparian Disused Railway Line Urban Services Rural Agriculture Town Centre Urban Residential Rural Residential (if not on New England Highway) Urban Industrial Rural Forest Water crossing Urban Retail/Town Centre Rural Lake/ zWatercourse Landmark item Urban Retail Large Railway Line Urban Open Space Disused Railway Line Urban River/Creek/Riparian Town Centre Rural Agriculture (if not on New England Highway) Rural Residential Water crossing Figure 8:Rural Guyra Forest Landmark item Rural Lake/ zWatercourse Railway Line 22 Disused Railway Line Town Centre (if not on New England Highway) Water crossing Landmark item New England Highway Design Framework

GENEROUS SETBACKS ON BOTH SIDES OF THE CORRIDOR

NEW ENGLAND HIGHWAY APPROACH TO GUYRA NARROW FOOTPATH ALONGSIDE THE CORRIDOR

• the highway route avoids the main town centre • wide corridor • narrow footpaths on both sides • generous building setbacks

23 New England Highway Design Framework

4.8.1.4 Armidale

UMARES CK

GLEN INNES R

BUNARRA R

KENTUCK ST ANGAR ST

URALLA R

Urban Services Urban Residential Urban Industrial Urban Retail/Town Centre Urban Retail Large Urban Open Space Urban Services Urban River/Creek/Riparian Urban Residential Rural Agriculture Urban Industrial Rural Residential Urban Retail/Town Centre Rural Forest Urban Retail Large Rural Lake/ zWatercourse Urban Open Space Railway Line Urban River/Creek/Riparian Disused Railway Line Urban Services Rural Agriculture Town Centre Urban Residential Rural Residential (if not on New England Highway) Urban Industrial Rural Forest Water crossing Urban Retail/Town Centre Rural Lake/ zWatercourse Landmark item Urban Retail Large Railway Line Urban Open Space Disused Railway Line Urban River/Creek/Riparian Town Centre Rural Agriculture (if not on New England Highway) Rural Residential Water crossing Figure 9:Rural Armidale Forest Landmark item Rural Lake/ zWatercourse Railway Line 24 Disused Railway Line Town Centre (if not on New England Highway) Water crossing Landmark item New England Highway Design Framework

ARMIDALE BYPASS QUEEN ELIZABETH DRIVE PASSING OVER NEW ENGLAND HIGHWAY (ARMIDALE BYPASS)

ROUNDABOUT AT NORTHERN END OF ARMIDALE BYPASS AT INTERSECTION WITH GLEN INNES ROAD. ROUNDABOUT AT SOUTHERN END OF ARMIDALE BYPASS AT INTERSECTION WITH URALLA ROAD. (IMAGE CREDIT: GOOGLE) (IMAGE CREDIT: GOOGLE)

• major regional centre • highway bypasses the main town centre to the west through a previous upgrade

25 New England Highway Design Framework

4.8.1.5 Uralla

HILL ST

EAST ST

Urban Services Urban Residential Urban Industrial Urban Retail/Town Centre Urban Retail Large Urban Open Space Urban Services Urban River/Creek/Riparian Urban Residential Rural Agriculture Urban Industrial Rural Residential Urban Retail/Town Centre Rural Forest Urban Retail Large Rural Lake/ zWatercourse Urban Open Space Railway Line Urban River/Creek/Riparian Disused Railway Line Urban Services Rural Agriculture Town Centre Urban Residential Rural Residential (if not on New England Highway) Urban Industrial Rural Forest Water crossing Urban Retail/Town Centre Rural Lake/ zWatercourse Landmark item Urban Retail Large Railway Line Urban Open Space Disused Railway Line Urban River/Creek/Riparian Town Centre Rural Agriculture (if not on New England Highway) Rural Residential Water crossing Figure 10:Rural Uralla Forest Landmark item Rural Lake/ zWatercourse Railway Line 26 Disused Railway Line Town Centre (if not on New England Highway) Water crossing Landmark item New England Highway Design Framework

DISTINCTIVE STREET PLANTING AND LIGHTING IN URALLA TOWN CENTRE UNIQUE TOWN SIGNAGE OF URALLA

THE NEW ENGLAND HIGHWAY PASSES THROUGH THE TOWN CENTRE OF URALLA

• the highway passes through the centre of town • rear to kerb parking • picturesque heritage buildings adjoining the highway • wide footpaths • road corridor is generous in width • streetscape planting and lighting

27 New England Highway Design Framework

4.8.2 The Tamworth Valley and Liverpool Plains The Tamworth Valley and Liverpool Plains sub-region is defined by the foothills of the Nandewar and Liverpool Ranges, part of the Great Dividing Range landscape. The route character comprises stretches of highway through predominantly agricultural crop lands, forested slopes and town centres/ villages and town centre/ village edges. The journey heading north provides distinctive vistas to the peak of the Moonbi Range and heading south to the Liverpool Range. Local landmarks visible in the road journey include Moonbi Lookout, the Willow Tree Inn, the Grain Loading Facility north of Willow Tree and First Fleet Park at Wallabadah. Cuttings comprise natural stone. (Refer Figure 11) The village of Moonbi has small road setbacks with retail shops on an adjacent road. Kootingal is designated a Major Town. The two lane highway skirts the rural residential edge with development set well back from the road. (Refer Figure 12) Tamworth is a major regional centre, home to the Tamworth Country Music Festival. The highway bypasses the main town centre to the east. The Big Golden Guitar provides a cultural landmark, albeit somewhat hidden by the large fast food and retail outlet signage. Through Tamworth the road is a divided carriageway with a central turfed/ treed median, dedicated bike lanes either side and parallel parking for the first kilometre. At Vera Street it deviates to the north-east skirting the town centre edge and is a two lane road with views to the surrounding Moonbi Ranges. At Peel River/ Peel Street it becomes a divided road again with a central landscaped median, and parallel parking to the Oxley Highway intersection where it once again becomes a two lane road leading out of Tamworth. (Refer Figure 13) Through the villages of Wallabadah and Willow Tree, the corridor is wide, the highway has kerbed edges with footpaths either on one side or both, residential buildings are setback from the road corridor and retail buildings have zero setback.

GRAIN LOADING FACILITY NORTH OF MURRURUNDI FIRST FLEET PARK AT WALLABADAH, NORTH OF MURRURUNDI MOONBI HILL, NORTH OF KOOTINGAL

VIEWS TO THE NANDEWAR RANGE VIEW SOUTH FROM MOONBI HILL

THE LIVERPOOL PLAINS

28 New England Highway Design Framework

FOSSICKERS A Macdonald River Bendemeer

TAMWORTH WALCHA REGIONAL LGA OLE H LGA 4 1200m Moonbi Creek OLE H Moonbi KOOTINGAL REFER FIGURE 13 REFER FIGURE 12 TAMWORTH 5 Peel River and Goonoo Goonoo Creek

Boiling own Creek

TAMWORTH

KAMILAROI H REGIONAL 1000m LGA acob oseph Creek

uirindi Creek 6 allabadah New England Highway Kangaroo Creek Hunter Expressway Pacific New England Highway Highway LIVERPOOL PLAINS Colly Creek 7 Secondary Hunter Expressway Road SHIRE LGA illow Tree Highway Network 1200m Pacific Highway New England Railway Line Highway Secondary Road Chilcotts Creek HunterNew England Expressway Highway State Highway Boundary Network PacificHunter HighwayExpressway LGA Railway Boundary Line REFER FIGURE 15 SecondaryPacific Highway Road High State pointsBoundary SecondaryHighway Network Road Regional LGA Boundary City Pages River RailwayHighway Line Network Murrurundi Regional High points Centre StateRailway Boundary Line Major Regional Town City LGAState Boundary Boundary Town Regional Centre 1200m HighLGA Boundarypoints GLOUCESTER New England Highway Village Major TownUPPER HUNTER RegionalHigh points City LGA Hunter Expresswayingen RuralTown Agriculturalgraing Regional CentreCity LGA Pacific Highway RuralVillage Forest MajorRegional Town Centre Secondary Road Rural Rural watercourseAgriculturalgraing crossing Highway Network MajorTown Town Great Rural Forestividing Range Railway Line Parkville VillageTown RidgesSpurs Rural watercourse crossing State Boundary RuralVillage Agriculturalgraing UPPER HUNTER Euine Great ividing Industry Range LGA Boundary Rural ForestAgriculturalgraing LGA MineRidgesSpurs New England Highway Rural watercourseForest crossing High points SCONE Upper Hunter Valley 0 25km Rural Euinewatercourse Industry crossing Hunter Expressway Regional City Great North ividing South Range Habitat Mine Pacific Highway Regional Centre GreatRidgesSpursConnectivity ividing Range Upper Hunter Valley Landmarks: EuineRidgesSpurs Industry Secondary Road Major Town North South Habitat Highway Network Town Hunter River 1 EuineMine BluffConnectivity Industry Rock 2 Bolivia Hill Railway Line Aberdeen UpperMine Hunter Valley Village 3Landmarks: Thunderbolts Rock State Boundary UpperNorth South Hunter Habitat Valley Rural Agriculturalgraing8 41 MoonbiBluff Rock Hill DUNGOG NorthConnectivity South Habitat LGA Boundary 52 TheBolivia Big Hill Golden Guitar Rural Forest Connectivity LGA High points SandyLandmarks: Creek63 FirstThunderbolts Fleet Park Rock Rural10 watercourse9 crossing Landmarks:74 GrainMoonbi Loading Hill Facility Regional City MUSELLBROOK1 Bluff Rock Figure 11: Tamworth Valley and Liverpool Muscle GreatPlains ividingCreek Range 12 85 BluffBolivia Rock AberdeenThe Hill Big Golden Heritage Guitar Bridge Regional Centre RidgesSpurs 23 96 BoliviaThunderbolts MuswellbrookFirst Hill Fleet Rock Park Memorial Grove Major Town 34 107 ThunderboltsMoonbi MuswellbrookGrain Hill Loading Rock RailwayFacility Bridge Euine Industry 29 118 LiddellAberdeen Power Heritage Station Bridge Town 45 MoonbiThe Big HillGolden Guitar Mine 1156 129 TheFirst BigFleet BayswaterMuswellbrook Golden Park PowerGuitar Memorial Station Grove Village UpperENMAN Hunter R Valley 67 1310 FirstGrain Fleet HunterMuswellbrook Loading Park Expressway Facility Railway Bridges Bridge Rural Agriculturalgraing North South Habitat 78 1411 GrainAberdeen SugarloafLiddell Loading Heritage Power FacilityRanges StationBridge 12 Bayswater Power Station Rural Forest Connectivity 89 AberdeenMuswellbrook Heritage Memorial Bridge Grove SINGLETON 12 10 13 Muswellbrook Hunter Expressway Railway Bridge Bridges Landmarks: 9 Muswellbrook Memorial Grove Rural watercourseMUSSWELLBROOK crossing Bayswater Creek1011 14 MuswellbrookLiddell Sugarloaf Power StationRailway Ranges Bridge LGA Great ividing Range 1 Bluff Rock 1112 LiddellBayswater PowerBowmans Power Station Station Creek LGA 2 Bolivia Hill RidgesSpurs GOLEN H 1213 BayswaterHunter Expressway Power Station Bridges 3 Thunderbolts Rock 1314 HunterSugarloaf Expressway Ranges Bridges Euine Industry 4 Moonbi Hill Glennies14 Creek Sugarloaf Ranges Mine 5 The Big Golden Guitar Hunter River 6 First Fleet Park Upper Hunter Valley 7 Grain Loading Facility SINGLETON North South Habitat 8 Aberdeen Heritage Bridge Connectivity 9 Muswellbrook Memorial Grove Landmarks: 10 Muswellbrook Railway Bridge 1 Bluff Rock 11 Liddell Power Station 2 Bolivia Hill 12 Bayswater Power Station PACIFIC H 3 Thunderbolts Rock 13 Hunter Expressway Bridges 4 Moonbi Hill 14 Sugarloaf Ranges umpup Creek 5 The Big Golden Guitar 6 First Fleet Park 7 Grain Loading Facility MAITLAND 8 Aberdeen Heritage Bridge 9 Muswellbrook Memorial Grove 10 Muswellbrook Railway Bridge 13 11 Liddell Power Station 12 Bayswater Power Station 13 Hunter Expressway Bridges CESSNOCK 14 Sugarloaf Ranges 14 CESSNOCK LGA NEWCASTLE New England Highway Design Framework

4.8.2.1 Kootingal

ENMAN AVENUE

KOOTINGAL-LIMBRI R

Urban Services Urban Residential Urban Industrial Urban Retail/Town Centre Urban Retail Large Urban Open Space Urban Services Urban River/Creek/Riparian Urban Residential Rural Agriculture GUN R Urban Industrial Rural Residential Urban Retail/Town Centre Rural Forest Urban Retail Large Rural Lake/ zWatercourse Urban Open Space Railway Line Urban River/Creek/Riparian Disused Railway Line Urban Services Rural Agriculture Town Centre Urban Residential Rural Residential (if not on New England Highway) Urban Industrial Rural Forest Water crossing Urban Retail/Town Centre Rural Lake/ zWatercourse Landmark item Urban Retail Large Railway Line Urban Open Space Disused Railway Line Urban River/Creek/Riparian Town Centre Rural Agriculture (if not on New England Highway) Rural Residential Water crossing Figure 12:Rural Kootingal Forest Landmark item Rural Lake/ zWatercourse Railway Line 30 Disused Railway Line Town Centre (if not on New England Highway) Water crossing Landmark item New England Highway Design Framework

THE HIGHWAY PASSES BY THE EDGE OF KOOTINGAL WITH VIEWS TO THE NANDEWAR MOUNTAIN RANGE

• designated a Major Town • the two lane highway skirts the rural residential edge with • the journey north provides distinctive vistas to the peaks of the development set well back from the road Nandewar Range and south to the Liverpool Range

31 New England Highway Design Framework

4.8.2.2 Tamworth

MARIUS ST

EBSORTH ST

PEEL RIVER

GOONOO GOONOO CK

CALALA LANE

Urban Services Urban Residential Urban Industrial Urban Retail/Town Centre Urban Retail Large Urban Open Space Urban Services Urban River/Creek/Riparian Urban Residential Rural Agriculture Urban Industrial Rural Residential Urban Retail/Town Centre Rural Forest Urban Retail Large Rural Lake/ zWatercourse Urban Open Space Railway Line Urban River/Creek/Riparian Disused Railway Line Urban Services Rural Agriculture Town Centre Urban Residential Rural Residential (if not on New England Highway) Urban Industrial Rural Forest Water crossing Urban Retail/Town Centre Rural Lake/ zWatercourse Landmark item Urban Retail Large Railway Line Urban Open Space Disused Railway Line Urban River/Creek/Riparian Town Centre Rural Agriculture (if not on New England Highway) Rural Residential Water crossing Figure 13:Rural Tamworth Forest Landmark item Rural Lake/ zWatercourse Railway Line 32 Disused Railway Line Town Centre (if not on New England Highway) Water crossing Landmark item New England Highway Design Framework

THE INTERSECTION WITH THE OXLEY HIGHWAY

THE ROAD IS A DIVIDED CARRIAGEWAY WITH A TURFED/TREED MEDIAN AND BIKE LANES ON EITHER SIDE

LANDMARK GOLDEN GUITAR IS HIDDEN BY SIGNAGE THE BIG GOLDEN GUITAR

• major regional centre • the highway bypasses the main town centre to the east • parallel parking for the first kilometre • Cultural landmark of the Big Golden Guitar somewhat hidden • two lane deviation at Vera Street skirts the town centre edge by the large fast food and retail outlet signage • between Peel River/ Peel Street and Oxley Highway it becomes • the road is a divided carriageway a divided road again with a central landscaped median and parallel parking • central turfed/ treed median • from Oxley Highway intersection it once again becomes a two • dedicated bike lanes either side lane road

33 New England Highway Design Framework

4.8.3 Upper Hunter Country The Great Dividing Range and Great Escarpment are dominant landscape features with the Liverpool Range forming the northern extent of this sub-region. The route character comprises stretches of highway through agricultural/ equine grazing lands, coal mining areas and town centres/ villages and town centre/ village edges. The Hunter is Australia’s oldest and most productive coal mining region and has the second largest concentration of horse stud farms in the world 2. Mines are clustered to the east and west of the New England Highway from Muswellbrook to Singleton. From Murrurundi to Aberdeen, the equine industry is concentrated with its distinctive timber fencing and cultural screen/ avenue planting along property fence lines. Viticulture industry is located further to the west, which the New England Highway provides access to. The road has long flat to undulating stretches with open pastoral views to rolling plains and forested hills in the distant view. New bridges have been constructed to allow for future dual carriageways such as at Rix Creek. (Refer Figure 14) Murrurundi is a picturesque historic town nestled in the foothills of the Liverpool Ranges and Pages River. The highway passes through the centre of town and the road corridor is four lanes wide, with parallel parking and two dedicated cycle lanes either side of the highway. Street setbacks vary from none for heritage buildings to small for other building types. (Refer Figure 15) Scone, Muswellbrook and Singleton are Major Town Centres. The highway passes through the main town centres of Scone and Muswellbrook but not Singleton. Scone is known as the Horse Capital of Australia and comprises a road four lanes wide with a landscaped median and parallel parking, a historic strip retail main street, wide footpaths shaded by awnings with no building setbacks to the road corridor. (Refer Figure 16) Muswellbrook is similar but less well landscaped comprising four lanes with a paved median and parallel parking, an historic strip retail main street, wide footpaths shaded by awnings with no building setbacks to the road corridor. The highway narrows to a single lane either way at the Railway Bridge where gateway signage announces the gateway to Muswellbrook. On the outskirts of Muswellbrook, to the south, the median is landscaped with crepe myrtle trees with native grass understorey plantings providing a colourful and distinctive journey experience. To the north of Muswellbrook is the Muswellbrook Memorial Grove featuring a one kilometre avenue of trees located on the eastern verge between the highway and the railway line. It comprises a memorial to veterans of World War II, Vietnam, National Service, the Korean, Malayan and Borneo campaigns. (Refer Figure 18) The approach to Singleton from the north provides views over the Singleton Valley from McDougalls Hill. The highway crosses the Hunter River on the town centre outskirts and is the only major river crossing on the highway route. The highway corridor is narrow through Singleton, with historic strip retail buildings aligning the corridor with no setbacks to the street and no landscaping. The southern outskirts have a narrow turfed verge with footpaths and small setbacks to residential buildings. (Refer Figure 19) 2 http://www.planning.nsw.gov.au/~/media/Files/DPE/Plans-and-policies/draft-hunter-regional-plan-2015-11.ashx

BAYSWATER POWER STATION VISIBLE FROM THE HIGHWAY. TIMBER FENCING AND PLANTING ALONG PROPERTY FENCE LINES TYPICAL OF THE EQUINE INDUSTRY

VIEWS TO THE ESCARPMENT WEST OF THE HIGHWAY.

34 FOSSICKERS A Macdonald River Bendemeer

TAMWORTH WALCHA REGIONAL LGA OLE H LGA 4 1200m Moonbi Creek OLE H Moonbi KOOTINGAL

TAMWORTH 5 Peel River and Goonoo Goonoo Creek

Boiling own Creek

TAMWORTH

KAMILAROI H REGIONAL New England Highway Design Framework 1000m LGA acob oseph Creek

uirindi Creek 6 allabadah

Kangaroo Creek

LIVERPOOL PLAINS Colly Creek 7 SHIRE LGA illow Tree 1200m Chilcotts Creek

REFER FIGURE 15

Pages River Murrurundi

1200m GLOUCESTER UPPER HUNTER LGA ingen LGA

Parkville UPPER HUNTER LGA REFER FIGURE 16 SCONE

Hunter River Aberdeen 8 REFER FIGURE 17 DUNGOG LGA Sandy Creek 10 9 New England Highway MUSELLBROOK Muscle Creek Hunter Expressway REFER FIGURE 18 Pacific Highway Secondary Road 11 Highway Network ENMAN R Railway Line New England Highway State Boundary SINGLETON Hunter Expressway 12 LGA Boundary LGA Pacific Highway MUSSWELLBROOK Bayswater Creek High points Bowmans Creek Secondary Road Regional City LGA GOLEN H Highway Network Regional Centre New England Highway Railway Line New England Highway Major Town Glennies Creek Hunter Expressway State Boundary Hunter ExpresswayHunter River Town REFER FIGURE Pacific 19 Highway LGA Boundary Pacific Highway Village Secondary RoadSINGLETON High points SecondaryHighway Network Road Rural Agriculturalgraing Highway Network Regional City Railway Line Rural Forest Railway Line Regional Centre State Boundary Rural watercourse crossing State Boundary Major Town LGA Boundary Great ividing Range PACIFIC H Town HighLGA Boundarypoints New England Highway RidgesSpurs High pointsumpup Creek Village Regional City Euine Industry Hunter Expressway Rural Agriculturalgraing Regional CentreCity Pacific Highway Mine Regional Centre Rural Forest MAITLAND Major Town Upper Hunter Valley Secondary Road Rural watercourse crossing Highway Network MajorTown Town North South Habitat Connectivity Great ividing Range Railway Line VillageTown 13 Landmarks: RidgesSpurs State Boundary RuralVillage Agriculturalgraing 1 BluffEuine Rock Industry LGA Boundary Rural ForestAgriculturalgraing CESSNOCK 2 Bolivia Hill Rural Forest Mine New England Highway High points Rural watercourse crossing 03 Thunderbolts Rock 25km Upper Hunter Valley Rural watercourse crossing 4 Moonbi Hill Hunter Expressway Regional City Great ividing Range North South Habitat 5 The Big Golden14 Guitar Pacific Highway Regional Centre GreatRidgesSpurs ividing Range Connectivity CESSNOCK6 First Fleet Park EuineRidgesSpurs Industry Landmarks: Secondary Road Major Town LGA 7 Grain Loading Facility NEWCASTLE Highway Network Town EuineMine Industry 81 AberdeenBluff Rock Heritage Bridge 9 Muswellbrook Memorial Grove Railway Line Village UpperMine Hunter Valley 2 Bolivia Hill 10 Muswellbrook Railway Bridge State Boundary UpperNorth South Hunter Habitat Valley 3 Thunderbolts Rock Rural Agriculturalgraing 11 Liddell Power Station NorthConnectivity South Habitat 4 Moonbi Hill LGA Boundary 12 Bayswater Power Station Rural Forest Connectivity 5 The Big Golden Guitar Landmarks: 13 Hunter Expressway Bridges High points Rural watercourse crossing 6 First Fleet Park Landmarks: 14 Sugarloaf Ranges Regional City 1 Bluff Rock 7 Grain Loading Facility Figure 14: Upper Hunter Country Great ividing Range 12 BluffBolivia Rock Hill 8 Aberdeen Heritage Bridge Regional Centre RidgesSpurs 23 BoliviaThunderbolts Hill Rock 9 Muswellbrook Memorial Grove Major Town 34 ThunderboltsMoonbi Hill Rock 10 Muswellbrook Railway Bridge Euine Industry 35 Town 45 MoonbiThe Big HillGolden Guitar 11 Liddell Power Station Mine 56 TheFirst BigFleet Golden Park Guitar 12 Bayswater Power Station Village Upper Hunter Valley 67 FirstGrain Fleet Loading Park Facility 13 Hunter Expressway Bridges Rural Agriculturalgraing North South Habitat 78 GrainAberdeen Loading Heritage Facility Bridge 14 Sugarloaf Ranges Rural Forest Connectivity 89 AberdeenMuswellbrook Heritage Memorial Bridge Grove 10 Muswellbrook Railway Bridge Landmarks: 9 Muswellbrook Memorial Grove Rural watercourse crossing 1011 MuswellbrookLiddell Power StationRailway Bridge Great ividing Range 1 Bluff Rock 1112 LiddellBayswater Power Power Station Station 2 Bolivia Hill RidgesSpurs 1213 BayswaterHunter Expressway Power Station Bridges 3 Thunderbolts Rock 1314 HunterSugarloaf Expressway Ranges Bridges Euine Industry 4 Moonbi Hill 14 Sugarloaf Ranges Mine 5 The Big Golden Guitar 6 First Fleet Park Upper Hunter Valley 7 Grain Loading Facility North South Habitat 8 Aberdeen Heritage Bridge Connectivity 9 Muswellbrook Memorial Grove Landmarks: 10 Muswellbrook Railway Bridge 1 Bluff Rock 11 Liddell Power Station 2 Bolivia Hill 12 Bayswater Power Station 3 Thunderbolts Rock 13 Hunter Expressway Bridges 4 Moonbi Hill 14 Sugarloaf Ranges 5 The Big Golden Guitar 6 First Fleet Park 7 Grain Loading Facility 8 Aberdeen Heritage Bridge 9 Muswellbrook Memorial Grove 10 Muswellbrook Railway Bridge 11 Liddell Power Station 12 Bayswater Power Station 13 Hunter Expressway Bridges 14 Sugarloaf Ranges New England Highway Design Framework

4.8.3.1 Murrurundi

PAGES RIVER

Urban Services Urban Residential Urban Industrial Urban Retail/Town Centre Urban Retail Large Urban Open Space Urban Services Urban River/Creek/Riparian Urban Residential Rural Agriculture Urban Industrial Rural Residential Urban Retail/Town Centre Rural Forest Urban Retail Large Rural Lake/ zWatercourse Urban Open Space Railway Line Urban River/Creek/Riparian Disused Railway Line Urban Services Rural Agriculture Town Centre Urban Residential Rural Residential (if not on New England Highway) Urban Industrial Rural Forest Water crossing Urban Retail/Town Centre Rural Lake/ zWatercourse Landmark item Urban Retail Large Railway Line Urban Open Space Disused Railway Line Urban River/Creek/Riparian Town Centre Rural Agriculture (if not on New England Highway) Rural Residential Water crossing Figure 15:Rural Murrurundi Forest Landmark item Rural Lake/ zWatercourse Railway Line 36 Disused Railway Line Town Centre (if not on New England Highway) Water crossing Landmark item New England Highway Design Framework

DISTINCTIVE GATEWAY SIGNAGE TO MURRURUNDI PICTURESQUE HERITAGE BUILDINGS

THE ROAD THROUGH MURRURUNDI FEATURES BIKE LANES ON EITHER SIDE NO STREET SETBACKS FOR HERITAGE BUILDINGS

• a picturesque historic town • the highway passes through the centre of town • street setbacks vary from none for heritage buildings to small • the road corridor is four lanes wide for other building types • parallel parking and two dedicated cycle lanes either side of • distinctive timber fencing and cultural screen/ avenue planting the highway along property fence lines

37 New England Highway Design Framework

TOWN CENTRE

4.8.3.2 Scone

LIVERPOOL ST

GUN R

Urban Services Urban Residential Urban Industrial Urban Retail/Town Centre Urban Retail Large Urban Open Space Urban Services Urban River/Creek/Riparian Urban Residential Rural Agriculture Urban Industrial Rural Residential Urban Retail/Town Centre Rural Forest Urban Retail Large Rural Lake/ zWatercourse Urban Open Space Railway Line Urban River/Creek/Riparian Disused Railway Line Urban Services Rural Agriculture Town Centre Urban Residential Rural Residential (if not on New England Highway) Urban Industrial Rural Forest Water crossing Urban Retail/Town Centre Rural Lake/ zWatercourse Landmark item Urban Retail Large Railway Line Urban Open Space Disused Railway Line Urban River/Creek/Riparian Town Centre Rural Agriculture (if not on New England Highway) Rural Residential Water crossing Figure 16:Rural Scone Forest Landmark item Rural Lake/ zWatercourse Railway Line 38 Disused Railway Line Town Centre (if not on New England Highway) Water crossing Landmark item New England Highway Design Framework

THE HIGHWAY PASSES THROUGH THE TOWN CENTRE THE HISTORIC STRIP RETAIL MAIN STREET FEATURES A LANDSCAPED MEDIAN, NO SETBACKS AND AWNINGS

AVENUE OF TREES ON APPROACH TO SCONE VIEWS TO HINTERLAND

• designated a Major Town Centre • the highway passes through the main town centre • known as the Horse Capital of Australia • historic strip retail main street with wide footpaths shaded by awnings • comprises a road four lanes wide with a landscaped median and parallel parking • no building setbacks to the road corridor

39 New England Highway Design Framework

4.8.3.3 Aberdeen

BLAIRMORE LANE

HUNTER RIVER

MC AAM ST

Urban Services Urban Residential Urban Industrial Urban Retail/Town Centre Urban Retail Large Urban Open Space Urban Services Urban River/Creek/Riparian Urban Residential Rural Agriculture Urban Industrial Rural Residential Urban Retail/Town Centre Rural Forest Urban Retail Large Rural Lake/ zWatercourse Urban Open Space Railway Line Urban River/Creek/Riparian Disused Railway Line Urban Services Rural Agriculture Town Centre Urban Residential Rural Residential (if not on New England Highway) Urban Industrial Rural Forest Water crossing Urban Retail/Town Centre Rural Lake/ zWatercourse Landmark item Urban Retail Large Railway Line Urban Open Space Disused Railway Line Urban River/Creek/Riparian Town Centre Rural Agriculture (if not on New England Highway) Rural Residential Water crossing Figure 17:Rural Aberdeen Forest Landmark item Rural Lake/ zWatercourse Railway Line 40 Disused Railway Line Town Centre (if not on New England Highway) Water crossing Landmark item New England Highway Design Framework

AVENUE PLANTING ALONG FENCELINES ON APPROACH TO ABERDEEN AVENUE PLANTING THROUGH ABERDEEN

THE ROAD CORRIDOR IS NARROW THROUGH ABERDEEN

• distinctive timber fencing and cultural screen/ avenue planting along property fence lines • pedestrian and cycle link

41 New England Highway Design Framework

4.8.3.4 TOWNMuswellbrook CENTRE

HUNTER RIVER SNE ST

Urban Services Urban Residential Urban Industrial Urban Retail/Town Centre Urban Retail Large Urban Open Space Urban Services Urban River/Creek/Riparian Urban Residential Rural Agriculture Urban Industrial Rural Residential Urban Retail/Town Centre Rural Forest Urban Retail Large Rural Lake/ zWatercourse Urban Open Space Railway Line Urban River/Creek/Riparian Disused Railway Line Urban Services Rural Agriculture Town Centre Urban Residential Rural Residential (if not on New England Highway) Urban Industrial Rural Forest Water crossing Urban Retail/Town Centre Rural Lake/ zWatercourse Landmark item Urban Retail Large Railway Line Urban Open Space Disused Railway Line Urban River/Creek/Riparian Town Centre Rural Agriculture (if not on New England Highway) Rural Residential Water crossing Figure 18:Rural Muswellbrook Forest Landmark item Rural Lake/ zWatercourse Railway Line 42 Disused Railway Line Town Centre (if not on New England Highway) Water crossing Landmark item New England Highway Design Framework

MUSWELLBROOK MEMORIAL GROVE THE HIGHWAY NARROWS AT THE RAILWAY BRIDGE

THE HIGHWAY PASSES THROUGH THE HISTORIC MAIN TOWN CENTRE

• no building setbacks to the road corridor • designated a Major Town Centre • the highway narrows to a single lane either way at the Railway • the highway passes through the main town centre Bridge • the road comprises four lanes with a paved median and • at the southern outskirts the median is landscaped with crepe parallel parking myrtle trees with native grass understorey plantings • an historic strip retail main street with wide footpaths shaded • local landmark visible in the road journey includes the by awnings Muswellbrook Memorial Grove to the north of the town

43 New England Highway Design Framework

EDGE

4.8.3.5 Singleton

UEEN ST

HUNTER RIVER

OHN ST

Urban Services Urban Residential Urban Industrial Urban Retail/Town Centre Urban Retail Large Urban Open Space Urban Services Urban River/Creek/Riparian Urban Residential Rural Agriculture Urban Industrial Rural Residential Urban Retail/Town Centre Rural Forest Urban Retail Large Rural Lake/ zWatercourse Urban Open Space Railway Line Urban River/Creek/Riparian Disused Railway Line Urban Services Rural Agriculture Town Centre Urban Residential Rural Residential (if not on New England Highway) Urban Industrial Rural Forest Water crossing Urban Retail/Town Centre Rural Lake/ zWatercourse Landmark item Urban Retail Large Railway Line Urban Open Space Disused Railway Line Urban River/Creek/Riparian Town Centre Rural Agriculture (if not on New England Highway) Rural Residential Water crossing Figure 19:Rural Singleton Forest Landmark item Rural Lake/ zWatercourse Railway Line 44 Disused Railway Line Town Centre (if not on New England Highway) Water crossing Landmark item New England Highway Design Framework

THE HIGHWAY CORRIDOR IS NARROW THROUGH SINGLETON AND FEATURES HISTORIC STRIP RETAIL BUILDINGS

HIGHWAY RETAIL NARROW CORRIDOR THROUGH SINGLETON

• designated a Major Town Centre • the highway corridor is narrow through Singleton • the approach from the north provides views over the Singleton • historic strip retail buildings align the corridor with no setbacks Valley from McDougalls Hill to the street and no landscaping • the highway crosses the Hunter River on the town centre • the southern outskirts have a narrow turfed verge with outskirts and is the only major river crossing on the highway footpaths and small setbacks to residential buildings route

45 New England Highway Design Framework

4.8.4 Lower Hunter Country The Lower Hunter Country section of the New England Highway is defined by the divided motorway character of the Hunter Expressway and Newcastle Link Road to the north and Newcastle Regional City Centre to the south- east. It is characterised by areas of rural agricultural, forested lands, city centre and suburbs. Key industries include wine production and associated tourism. (Refer Figure 20) The route character to the north comprises large stretches of divided four lane motorway through agricultural lands and forests (the Hunter Expressway). Views are confined to the corridor predominantly with heavily landscaped and forested edges. The Hunter Expressway provides a distinctive journey with bridges that frame views, noise walls that reference the adjacent context and a forested landscape. At Wallsend, the highway has an urban arterial character with four traffic lanes, a median paved or landscaped, a dedicated bike path either side and parallel parking.

THE CORRIDOR FEATURES HEAVILY LANDSCAPED AND FORESTED EDGES

46 FOSSICKERS A Macdonald River Bendemeer

TAMWORTH WALCHA REGIONAL LGA OLE H LGA 4 1200m Moonbi Creek OLE H Moonbi KOOTINGAL

TAMWORTH 5 Peel River and Goonoo Goonoo Creek

Boiling own Creek

TAMWORTH

KAMILAROI H REGIONAL 1000m LGA acob oseph Creek

uirindi Creek 6 allabadah New England Highway Design Framework Kangaroo Creek

LIVERPOOL PLAINS Colly Creek 7 SHIRE LGA illow Tree 1200m Chilcotts Creek

Pages River Murrurundi

1200m GLOUCESTER UPPER HUNTER LGA ingen LGA

Parkville UPPER HUNTER LGA SCONE

Hunter River Aberdeen 8 DUNGOG LGA 10 9 Sandy Creek Muscle Creek MUSELLBROOK

11 New England Highway ENMAN R Hunter Expressway SINGLETON Pacific Highway 12 Secondary Road Bayswater Creek LGA Highway Network MUSSWELLBROOK Bowmans Creek Railway Line LGA GOLEN H State Boundary Glennies Creek LGA Boundary Hunter River High points SINGLETON Regional City VIEWS TO THE SUGARLOAF RANGES FROM THE HUNTER EXPRESSWAY New England Highway Regional Centre Hunter Expressway Major Town Pacific Highway Town Secondary Road Village Highway Network PACIFIC H New England Highway Rural Railway Agriculturalgraing Line umpup Creek New England Highway Hunter Expressway Rural State ForestBoundary Hunter Expressway Pacific Highway Rural LGA Boundary watercourse crossing Pacific Highway MAITLAND Secondary Road Great High pointsividing Range SecondaryHighway Network Road RidgesSpurs Regional City RailwayHighway Line Network 13 Euine Regional Industry Centre StateRailway Boundary Line Mine Major Town LGAState Boundary Boundary Upper Hunter Valley CESSNOCK LGA Boundary Town High points North South Habitat New England Highway Village RegionalHigh points City Connectivity Hunter Expressway 14 Rural Agriculturalgraing Regional CentreCity Landmarks: Pacific Highway Rural Forest CESSNOCK MajorRegional Town Centre 1 Bluff Rock Secondary Road 2 BoliviaRural watercourse Hill NEWCASTLE crossing Highway Network LGA MajorTown Town 3 Thunderbolts Rock Town Great ividing Range Railway Line Village 4 Moonbi Hill RidgesSpurs State Boundary RuralVillage Agriculturalgraing 5 The Big Golden Guitar 6 FirstEuine Fleet Industry Park LGA Boundary Rural ForestAgriculturalgraing 7 Grain Loading Facility Rural Forest Mine New England Highway High points Rural watercourse crossing 8 Aberdeen Heritage Bridge 0 Upper Hunter Valley 25km Rural watercourse crossing 9 Muswellbrook Memorial Grove Hunter Expressway Regional City Great ividing Range North South Habitat 10 Muswellbrook Railway Bridge Pacific Highway Regional Centre GreatRidgesSpurs ividing Range Connectivity 11 Liddell Power Station RidgesSpurs Secondary Road Major Town Euine Industry 12Landmarks: Bayswater Power Station Highway Network Town EuineMine Industry 131 HunterBluff Rock Expressway Bridges 14 Sugarloaf Ranges Railway Line Village UpperMine Hunter Valley 2 Bolivia Hill State Boundary UpperNorth South Hunter Habitat Valley 3 Thunderbolts Rock Rural Agriculturalgraing 4 Moonbi Hill LGA Boundary NorthConnectivity South Habitat Rural Forest Connectivity 5 The Big Golden Guitar High points Landmarks: 6 First Fleet Park Rural watercourse crossing Landmarks: Regional City 1 Bluff Rock 7 Grain Loading Facility Figure 20: Lower Hunter Country Great ividing Range 12 BluffBolivia Rock Hill 8 Aberdeen Heritage Bridge Regional Centre RidgesSpurs 23 BoliviaThunderbolts Hill Rock 9 Muswellbrook Memorial Grove Major Town 34 ThunderboltsMoonbi Hill Rock 10 Muswellbrook Railway Bridge Euine Industry 47 Town 45 MoonbiThe Big HillGolden Guitar 11 Liddell Power Station Mine 56 TheFirst BigFleet Golden Park Guitar 12 Bayswater Power Station Village Upper Hunter Valley 67 FirstGrain Fleet Loading Park Facility 13 Hunter Expressway Bridges Rural Agriculturalgraing North South Habitat 78 GrainAberdeen Loading Heritage Facility Bridge 14 Sugarloaf Ranges Rural Forest Connectivity 89 AberdeenMuswellbrook Heritage Memorial Bridge Grove 10 Muswellbrook Railway Bridge Landmarks: 9 Muswellbrook Memorial Grove Rural watercourse crossing 1011 MuswellbrookLiddell Power StationRailway Bridge Great ividing Range 1 Bluff Rock 1112 LiddellBayswater Power Power Station Station 2 Bolivia Hill RidgesSpurs 1213 BayswaterHunter Expressway Power Station Bridges 3 Thunderbolts Rock 1314 HunterSugarloaf Expressway Ranges Bridges Euine Industry 4 Moonbi Hill 14 Sugarloaf Ranges Mine 5 The Big Golden Guitar 6 First Fleet Park Upper Hunter Valley 7 Grain Loading Facility North South Habitat 8 Aberdeen Heritage Bridge Connectivity 9 Muswellbrook Memorial Grove Landmarks: 10 Muswellbrook Railway Bridge 1 Bluff Rock 11 Liddell Power Station 2 Bolivia Hill 12 Bayswater Power Station 3 Thunderbolts Rock 13 Hunter Expressway Bridges 4 Moonbi Hill 14 Sugarloaf Ranges 5 The Big Golden Guitar 6 First Fleet Park 7 Grain Loading Facility 8 Aberdeen Heritage Bridge 9 Muswellbrook Memorial Grove 10 Muswellbrook Railway Bridge 11 Liddell Power Station 12 Bayswater Power Station 13 Hunter Expressway Bridges 14 Sugarloaf Ranges New England Highway Design Framework

5.0 Landscape Character Zone Sensitivity Refer Figure 21. The overall landscape character and visual quality of the typologies is consistent for the New England High Country, Tamworth Valley, Lower Hunter Country and the northern section of the Upper Hunter Country. The only exceptions are the southern section of the Upper Hunter Country below Muswellbrook, where mining activities have led to a high degree of modification of the landscape and therefore a lower sensitivity and the Tamworth Valley where the topography is less varied. In town centres with heritage streetscapes, at river and creek crossings and scenic areas such as Moonbi and Bolivia Hill, the sensitivity is high to very high. In the New England High Country, Lower Hunter Country and the northern section of the Upper Hunter Country, the sensitivity varies from medium to high depending on the degree of modification and land use activity. For example, villages are generally more sensitive than pasture or agricultural lands and urban residential more sensitive than urban industrial.

48 New England Highway Design Framework

Casino L allangarra BRUNER H S N ennings Glen Lyon Creek Tarban Creek Tenterfield Creek

Tenterfield

MT LINESA R

BRUNER H

TENTERFIEL CK Sandy Flat Bluff River

Bolivia

GIR H

GIR H eepwater River eepwater

arialda Severn River undee

Beardy aters GIR H Grafton GLEN INNES Stonehenge Inverell GIR H Beardy aters

UMARES CK Glencoe R R A-EBO R U G TING HA R

Ryanda Creek BUNARRA R Aberfoyle River GLEN INNES R Llangothlin

URALLA R Guyra

Coffs Harbour Tilbuster Ponds MARIUS ST

EBSORTH ST uval Creek Bellingen

PEEL RIVER ARMIDALE umares Creek

Saumare Creek ATERFALL A

CALALA LANE Uralla

GOONOO GOONOO

Kentucky Creek HILL ST CREEK Carlisles Gully

Macdonald River

Bendemeer EAST ST

OLE H OLE H Moonbi Creek Moonbi KOOTINGAL Kempsey TAMWORTH Peel River and Goonoo Goonoo Creek

ENMAN AVENUE KOOTINGAL-LIMBRI R

Boiling own Creek

KAMILAROI H

GUN R acob oseph Creek Port Macuarie TOWN CENTRE uirindi Creek allabadah Kangaroo Creek Colly New England Highway Creek illow Tree PAGES RIVER Hunter Expressway Chilcotts Creek LIVERPOOL ST Murrurundi Pacific Highway

Pages River GUN R Secondary Road Highway Network

EDGE ingen Railway Line

T Taree

S

M R A State Boundary E IV A R R C Parkville E T M N U Regional City

H SCONE Regional Centre Major Town Aberdeen UEEN ST Hunter River Town Sandy Creek MUSELLBROOK OHN ST Muscle Creek R Rural water crossings

E

V I TOWN CENTRE R

R E ENMAN R T N U H Sensitivity: Bayswater Bowmans Creek GOLEN HCreek Very High Glennies Hunter River Creek High SINGLETON Medium-High RIVER R TE N U H PACIFIC H Medium SNE ST umpup Creek Medium-Low MAITLAND Low

CESSNOCK

0 40km NEWCASTLE

Figure 21: New England Highway - Landscape Character Zone Sensitivity 49 New England Highway Design Framework

6.0 Corridor Strategy Refer Figure 22. The following Vision seeks to retain and enhance the distinct character of the New England Highway and its sub-regions. The New England Highway will be an attractive well vegetated hinterland highway that takes its identity and character from its unique relationship to the regional geography of the Great Dividing Range, rivers, creeks, forests, town centres, agricultural and energy lands. It will provide a journey experience that distinguishes between the New England High Country, Tamworth Valley, Liverpool Plains, Upper and Lower Hunter sub regions. It will provide for various modes of movement, including freight, passenger and local journeys that promote universal accessibility and sustainability. The road journey offers a variety of experiences, designed in response to the adjacent built and landscape context, as it passes through the Upper and Lower Hunter, the Tamworth Valley, Liverpool Plains and New England High country. This responsiveness to context provides a degree of legibility along the road for local people as well as wider regional users. These landscape experiences include distant views to the Great Dividing Ranges, Liverpool and Moonbi Ranges, local views to adjacent landmarks such as the historic towns and villages, the Big Golden Guitar in Tamworth, horse farms through Aberdeen and Scone, Moonbi Hill, Bluff Rock, Thunderbolts Rock, the Grain Loading Facility at Willow Tree, First Fleet Park at Wallabadah and the Railway Line.

6.1 Corridor Objectives and Principles The following objectives adapt, revise and augment the nine RMS urban design principles in “Beyond The Pavement” to enable the New England Highway vision and guide potential road upgrades, improvements and maintenance along the New England Highway. They are also supplemented by the following RMS Guidelines.

Water sensitive urban Noise wall design guideline Shotcrete design guideline design guideline Design guideline to improve the Design guideline to improve the Applying water sensitive urban design appearance of noise walls in NSW appearance of shotcrete in NSW principals to NSW transport projects

March 2016 March 2016 March 2016

Landscape guideline Landscape design and maintenance guidelines to improve the quality, safety and cost effectiveness of road corridor planting and seeding

Bridge Aesthetics

design guideline to improve the appearance of bridges in Ns W

Centre for urban deSign July 2012

50 New England Highway Hunter Expressway Pacific Highway Secondary Road Highway Network Railway Line State Boundary Upgrade Bypass RiverCreek crossing National ParkState Forest Provide Upper Hunter Valley North South Habitat Connectivity Protect and retain landscape character where sensitivity is high-very high Protect and retain townscapes and villages where sensitivity is high-very high Provide a strong vegetated edge Extend urban and landscape treatments of Hunter Expressway Retain euine industry character Enhance Inter-regional connection points Retain enhance character of Tamworth Valley Retain and enhance views vistas across Tamworth Valley Retain enhance character of New England High Country New England Highway Design Framework Retain and enhance views vistas from the high plateau to the Great ividing Range and Nandewar Range Casino L BRUNER H S N Glen Lyon Creek Completed current or proposed Tarban Creek A Tenterfield Creek improvements: A Tenterfield Heavy Vehicle Bypass TENTERFIEL B Bolivia Hill Upgrade MT LINESA R C Scone Bypass Fitgerald Bridge at Aberdeen 1 BRUNER H E Muswellbrook Bypass Bluff River F Singleton Rail Underpass TENTERFIEL CK G Singleton Bypass WASHPOOL H Belford to the Golden Highway NATIONAL PARK I Rutherford Safety Improvements 2

1 Landmarks: eepwater River 1 Bluff Rock 2 Boliviaarialda Hill 3 Thunderbolts Rock Severn River 4 Moonbi Hill 5 The Big Golden Guitar Beardy aters GIR H 6 First Fleet Park NMBOIDA 7 Grain Loading Facility NATIONAL PARK Grafton 8 Aberdeen Heritage Bridge GLEN INNES 9 Muswellbrook Memorial Grove Inverell GIR H 10 Muswellbrook Railway Bridge Beardy aters 11 Liddell Power Station 12 Bayswater Power Station 1400m 13 Bridges on the Hunter Expressway 14 Sugarloaf Ranges

Ryanda Creek GU FAWKES RIVER Aberfoyle River N NATIONAL PARK A 1400m N

D

E

W

A

R

R Coffs Harbour

A

N Tilbuster Ponds

G

E 1400m uval Creek Bellingen

ARMIALE umares Creek NEW ENGLAND Saumare Creek ATERFALL A NATIONAL PARK

Uralla 3 Kentucky Creek E

G Carlisles Gully 1200m N A HILL ST R Macdonald River G N I D OLE H I OLE H 4 1200m V Moonbi I EAST ST Creek D

T A Kempsey TAMORTH E 5 Peel River and R Goonoo Goonoo Creek G WERRIKIMBE NATIONAL PARK

Boiling own Creek

KAMILAROI H 1000m acob oseph Creek Port Macuarie

New England Highway 6 uirindi Creek Hunter Expressway Kangaroo Creek Colly Pacific Highway 7 Creek 1200m Secondary Road Chilcotts Highway Network Creek Railway Line Pages River State Boundary Upgrade 1200m LIVE Bypass RPOOL RANGE Taree RiverCreek crossing BARRINGTON TOPS National ParkState Forest NATIONAL PARK SCONE Provide Upper Hunter Valley North South Habitat Connectivity Protect and retain landscape 8 character where sensitivity is Hunter River high-very high Sandy Creek Muscle Creek MUSELLBROOK Protect and retain townscapes 10 9 and villages where sensitivity 11 is high-very high ENMAN R Provide a strong vegetated edge 12 Bowmans Creek GOLEN H Bayswater Extend urban and landscape Creek treatments of Hunter Expressway Glennies Hunter River Creek Retain euine industry character SINGLETON Enhance Inter-regional umpup Creek connection points PACIFIC H Retain enhance character of Tamworth Valley Retain and enhance views vistas 13 across Tamworth Valley Retain enhance character of New England High Country WOLLEMI 14 0 40km NATIONAL PARK NECASTLE Retain and enhance views vistas from the high plateau to the Great ividing Range and Nandewar Range

A Completed current or proposed Figure 22: New England Highway - Corridor Strategy and Challenges improvements: A Tenterfield Heavy Vehicle Bypass 51 B Bolivia Hill Upgrade C Scone Bypass Fitgerald Bridge at Aberdeen E Muswellbrook Bypass F Singleton Rail Underpass G Singleton Bypass H Belford to the Golden Highway I Rutherford Safety Improvements

1 Landmarks: 1 Bluff Rock 2 Bolivia Hill 3 Thunderbolts Rock 4 Moonbi Hill 5 The Big Golden Guitar 6 First Fleet Park 7 Grain Loading Facility 8 Aberdeen Heritage Bridge 9 Muswellbrook Memorial Grove 10 Muswellbrook Railway Bridge 11 Liddell Power Station 12 Bayswater Power Station 13 Bridges on the Hunter Expressway 14 Sugarloaf Ranges

New England Highway Design Framework

Objective 1: Contribute to urban structure and revitalisation and fit with the built, heritage and cultural fabric. Retain and enhance the relationship of the highway to its Regional Centres, Major Towns, Towns and Villages of the New England and Hunter Region that provide identity and legibility in the New England Highway journey: • Consider both transport and community needs in the planning and design of upgrades and enhancements, improving safety and operational efficiency and also maintaining amenity and economic viability for the community. • Retain the sense of place and distinct identities of the particular urban centres. • Integrate historic buildings and precincts into the road design. • Protect and incorporate Aboriginal heritage in the road design. • Maintain, enhance and protect European cultural plantings, such as plane tree avenues, evident on many approaches to urban centres in the New England and Upper Hunter regions such as Guyra. • Adapt and re-use heritage infrastructure and protect bridges of heritage significance within their setting. A recent example is the new shared path bridge at Aberdeen which utilises the existing heritage bridge enhancing its significance. Adjacent some parts of the highway there are rail bridges visible from the highway such as at Tenterfield Creek which provide interest in the journey experience. Preserve roads that provide a sense of history. • Minimise construction and operation impacts on the community and local environment by keeping the road footprint to the minimum possible to achieve a good design outcome. • Avoid adverse visual impacts in the planning and design. Screen views to sensitive receivers such as residences where impacts are unavoidable. • Consider the potential use of adjoining land and ensure the highway design consider access issues related to the use. • Consider the role of road transport infrastructure in revitalizing and transforming areas. • Consider the potential opportunities of a reduction in traffic volume for better amenity outcomes such as a reduction in noise, improved pedestrian safety and potential for urban revitalisation opportunities such as road pavement narrowing, increased footpath widths, street parking, cycleways and street tree plantings.

THE NEW ROAD BRIDGE AT ABERDEEN PROVIDES A STREAMLINED ELEGANT STRUCTURE THAT VISUALLY COMPLEMENTS HERITAGE STREETSCAPES SUCH AS URALLA NEED TO BE SENSITIVELY AND IS SYMPATHETIC TO THE HERITAGE BRIDGE, WITH PIERS THAT ALIGN IN PLAN, A ROUNDED PIER SHAPE THAT IS SIMILAR INTEGRATED TO THE HERITAGE PIER BUT DOES NOT REPLICATE IT

52 New England Highway Design Framework

Objective 2: Fit with the landform. Respond to changes in landform as the New England Highway traverses the plains, plateaus, spurs and ranges of the Great Dividing Range. • Form a road in response to topography and landform. Provide a constantly varying horizontal (curving, straight) and vertical (undulating, flat) alignment. • Adopt variable embankment slopes to meet the topography rather than adopting a constant grade. • Minimise the physical footprint, including during the construction phase. • Consider slope stabilisation design as part of the project: -- Provide soft, feathered transitions. Tops, bottoms and ends of cuttings should be rounded off to remove hard edges to landform. -- Grade out landform to match existing adjacent slopes but no steeper than 1(V) in 2(H), unless rock. In flatter open areas such as through the Liverpool Plains, minimise embankments and mounding. -- Avoid shotcrete and minimise areas of shotcrete if required. -- Where shotcrete is visible from the highway or residences, it should be screened by vegetation if practicable or designed to be visually recessive and unobtrusive through colour and texture matching. In highly scenic areas such as key views/ vistas and towns shotcrete should not be visible and faced with concrete panels. • Utilise landform such as positioning of cuttings or embankments or noise mounds for noise attenuation if required.

HERITAGE RAIL BRIDGES VISIBLE FROM THE NEW ENGLAND HIGHWAY

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Objective 3: Design an experience in movement and create a self-explaining road environment that recognises and reflects the interaction with the topography of the Great Dividing Range, the changes between urban and rural areas, local natural and heritage landmarks and the unique industries of the Hunter and New England Regions with the road alignment. • Enhance and frame views from the road. Considering lower height plant species where views are available. Maximise views to key landmarks identified in 4.7 Views and Vistas: Natural and Built Landmarks including: -- The granite rock boulder outcrops in the New England High Country; -- Distant vistas to the Liverpool, Nandewar and Great Dividing Ranges; -- Town centre signage; and -- Local landmarks. • Provide visual stimuli within the road corridor to enliven the road journey experience. • Retain and enhance the progressive sequence of visual events such as: -- The character of the equine industry around Scone and Aberdeen with its distinctive horse fence railings. • Consider the inclusion of interpretive signage or artwork on sections with few distinctive landmarks.

DISTINCTIVE HORSE FENCE RAILINGS AROUND SCONE AND ABERDEEN TOWN CENTRE SIGNAGE AT MURRURUNDI

DISTANT VIEWS TO THE LIVERPOOL RANGE GRANITE BOULDER OUTCROPS IN THE NEW ENGLAND HIGH COUNTRY

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Objective 4: Respond to natural vegetation patterns. Ensure the road design reflects the change in landscape character from enclosed forest to more open, scattered trees on pasture grasses and waterway crossings. • Integrate natural patterns and systems into the road design. Identify adjacent vegetation communities and land use patterns and design complementary highway landscape. • Ensure physical continuity of natural systems. Provide connectivity and safe, effective crossings for native fauna. • Minimise the impact on native vegetation and retain as much native vegetation in the highway design as possible through steepening embankments, widened medians or utilising barriers to reduce clearance zone distances. • Avoid the introduction of native weed species. • Enhance waterway crossings and retain views out from the road. Where noise walls may be required on bridges consider the use of transparent panels to retain views. • Provide distinctive trees at key points such as rest areas, town centre entryways and major interchange points. For example, utilising species already evident including: -- Poplars (Populus sp.) (along property boundaries and to screen properties from the highway) -- Plane Trees (Platanus sp.) (Singleton, Tamworth, Glenn Innes) -- Canary Island Palms (Phoenix canariensis) (Singleton) -- Hoop Pine (Araucaria cunninghamii) (Singleton) -- Silky Oaks (Grevillea robusta) (Kootingal) -- Crepe Myrtles (Lagerstroemia indica) (Aberdeen, Scone) -- Prunus sp. (Kootingal) -- Tuckeroos (Cupaniopsis anacardioides) (Aberdeen) -- Figs (Muswellbrook) -- Jacaranda sp. (Singleton, Muswellbrook) -- Brushbox (Lophostemon confertus)

MEDIAN PLANTING AT GLEN INNES

AVENUE OF POPLARS MEDIAN PLANTING AT MUSWELLBROOK

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Objective 5: Connect transport modes (road, rail, cycling) and communities • Consider requirements for connections into and through surrounding street, footpath and cycle networks. • Consider requirements for community access to road, rail and cycling facilities. • Consider where people want to cross and the quality of crossing points.

Objective 6: Achieve integrated and minimal maintenance design. • Utilise robust durable materials fit for purpose and place. • Provide a self-reliant and minimal maintenance natural landscape. • Avoid opportunities for vandalism. Provide landscape screening to wall surfaces as far as possible to deter graffiti.

ON ROAD CYCLEWAYS THROUGH TAMWORTH

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Objective 7: Provide a simple, coordinated and neat composition of road elements along the corridor • Signage, Variable Message Signs -- Keep all signage below the skyline with a backdrop of landform and vegetation. -- Ensure signage does not block important views and avoid putting in highly scenic areas. • Fencing -- Locate fencing to minimise visual impact. Where fencing will be visible and not able to be screened by vegetation utilise dark coloured mesh. • Bridges Overbridges and bridges over rivers should belong to the same design family and should be considered as part of a suite of unified elements along the whole highway. For example: -- For the Lower Hunter north of the Hunter Expressway and the Upper Hunter to Muswellbrook, consider using walled abutment bridges without piers to continue the “framed view” character of bridges from the Hunter Expressway. Consider also the banded walled abutment design adjusted to reflect adjacent cultural materials to the north. -- From the Liverpool Plains north to the border, consider utilising spill through abutments for bridges to maximise views through and over the highway. Piers should be columnar without headstocks or a blade design. -- Consider opportunities for one off distinctive bridges where appropriate. -- Maximise views by utilising twin rail barriers.

SPILL THROUGH ABUTMENTS MAXIMISE VIEWS - PACIFIC HIGHWAY EXAMPLE

WALLED ABUTMENTS ON THE HUNTER EXPRESSWAY

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Objective 7: Provide a simple, coordinated and neat composition of road elements along the corridor (continued) • Noise and Retaining Walls -- Minimise the visibility of walls by providing landscape screening in front of walls or using transparent noise walls on bridges. -- Ensure walls have a smooth top edge (no stepping), following the horizontal alignment of the carriageway. -- Where noise and retaining walls are visible with limited screening opportunities, utilise textures, patterns, colour to provide a secondary layer of meaning referencing the adjacent context providing recognition in the road journey for motorists. -- Where noise walls are screened by vegetation and require painting to minimise visual impact, particularly for modular panel walls, utilise dark recessive colour finishes such as charcoal. -- Enable views from bridges to surrounding context by utilising transparent noise walls. -- Ensure walls have a simple plan alignment, straight or smoothly curved with no kinks. -- Minimise the perceived height of walls through laying back the vertical face. -- Panel surface design should discourage graffiti and consider methods for removal.

• Safety and Visual/Headlight Screens -- Consider providing design continuity in form with the Hunter Expressway north to Musswellbrook. -- Integrate screens into the design of bridges and barriers. -- Ensure screens have a smooth top edge (no stepping), following the horizontal alignment of the carriageway. -- Headlight screens should be a dark recessive colour. Consider utilising a mesh that allows views from one direction but blocks headlights in the other.

HUNTER EXPRESSWAY CRANKED STEEL BEAM SAFETY SCREEN HUNTER EXPRESSWAY NOISE WALL PATTERNING REFERENCES THE ADJACENT VINEYARD CONTEXT

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Objective 7: Provide a simple, coordinated and neat composition of road elements along the corridor (continued) • Rest Areas -- Locate rest areas as far as practicable in scenic areas or where there are views to surrounding landscape. -- Provide rest areas that are landscaped, with shade trees and grassed areas. Parking areas should also be separated by planting.

-- Consider requirements of different users for example truck and trailer parking requirements versus light vehicle requirements for quiet restful areas.

BUCHANAN REST AREA AMENITIES ON THE HUNTER EXPRESSWAY

BUCHANAN REST AREA ON THE HUNTER EXPRESSWAY PROVIDES GOOD QUALITY AMENITIES AND SCENIC VIEWS

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6.2 Corridor Challenges • Protect and retain landscape character, particularly where landscape sensitivity is high. Where upgrades or safety works are required to improve alignments, safe sight distances, add overtaking lanes or widen shoulders, whilst applying current design standards, consider the unique characteristics of the landscape as an additional layer to the engineering design. Strategies to consider in the design process include: -- Identify and retain significant views to the Great Dividing Range, Main National Railway, local landmarks and unique landscapes. -- Balance straightening alignments with maintaining some curves to respond to the variations in landscape and provide a more interesting journey. -- Locally narrow road footprint design by utilising barriers to protect significant vegetation and minimise visual impact. For example at the Bolivia Hill Upgrade the shoulders were narrowed to reduce the lengths and heights of retaining walls. -- Where significant variations in topography are encountered, consider cantilevering road carriageway edges to minimise visual impact. For example at the Bolivia Hill Upgrade the carriageway was cantilevered eliminating the need for high retaining walls. -- Adopt independently graded or split carriageways to better integrate the road into areas where the terrain is steeper, particularly through the Great Dividing Range spurs. For example, north of Murrurundi, the carriageways have been independently graded providing better safety outcomes and a better landscaped outcome through the steeper terrain. -- Expose underlying rock rather than layback vegetated batters. -- Steepen batters to protect significant vegetation.

INDEPENDENTLY GRADED CARRIAGEWAY NORTH OF MURRURUNDI INTEGRATES THE HIGHWAY INTO THE SURROUNDING LANDFORM (IMAGE CREDIT: GOOGLE)

TENTERFIELD CREEK RAIL BRIDGE

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• Improve landscape amenity through the Upper Hunter Country from the Hunter Expressway north to Muswellbrook. The current corridor landscape through this area has a lower sensitivity and amenity in comparison to other areas due to the high degree of modification of the landscape including the removal of vegetation for mining activities and the heavy freight transport currently occurring. A strategy should be developed for this section that takes into account the future landscape character created through the rehabilitation of the adjacent landscape post mining activities and the proposed north-south Upper Hunter Valley Link. Design considerations may include: -- Between Muswellbrook and Singleton where the north-south Upper Hunter Valley Link is planned, establish a strong vegetated landscape character such as has been achieved on the Hunter Expressway. -- Widen medians for improved ecological connectivity and visual outcomes where appropriate. A widened median can allow for retaining existing significant vegetation or new median planting which also breaks down the scale of the road corridor and provide headlight screening.

MEDIAN AT MOONBI PROVIDES AN ENHANCED VISUAL OUTCOME AND BREAKS DOWN THE SCALE OF THE HIGHWAY

STRONG VEGETATED LANDSCAPE CHARACTER ON THE HUNTER EXPRESSWAY IS ENHANCD BY MEDIAN PLANTING

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• Protect and retain historic townscapes and villages – specific challenges exist for upgrading the highway through Singleton, Muswellbrook, Scone and Tenterfield and some smaller villages due to either a narrow corridor, existing highly valued or historic built form aligning the corridor, or amenity impacts from increased heavy vehicle traffic. Bypasses of these towns and villages will reduce through traffic in particular for heavy vehicles, improving amenity and safety and providing opportunities for urban revitalisation. Currently for town centres such as Tamworth, Glenn Innes and Guyra the highway bypasses the main street/ retail/ civic centre, skirting the edge of town, so that there is still a sense of passing through the town which breaks up the journey experience, preventing fatigue. These sections often have vegetated medians and avenue tree plantings which also distinguish the journey. Cycle ways and shared paths provide increased amenity and connectivity. It is recommended for smaller towns and villages that require upgrades or safety improvements and that have sufficient corridor width, that this approach is adopted to minimise impacts on sensitive town centre streetscapes. Design considerations include: -- Integrate existing heritage or landmarks by re-using as part of a separated cycle path network such as at Aberdeen. -- Upgrade pedestrian and cycle facilities.

PLANTED MEDIAN IN GLEN INNES

FITZGERALD HERITAGE BRIDGE AT ABERDEEN REUSED AS PART OF CYCLE PATH NETWORK

TAMWORTH TOWN CENTRE - THE HIGHWAY INCLUDES A PLANTED MEDIAN AND VERGES, PARKING LANE AND CYCLE PATHS

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For larger towns such as Scone, Muswellbrook, Singleton and Tenterfield, an alternative bypass route offers a more sensitive solution to retain the integrity of the existing highly sensitive streetscapes. For bypasses, important design considerations include: -- Locate bypass far enough away to minimise noise and visual impacts but close enough to ensure a visual connection to the bypassed town to maintain legibility in the road journey. Views to landmarks or built form should be considered in the bypass design with straightforward access associated with the view. -- Provide a distinctive town address for the town on the highway which increases the legibility for the motorist. This could include a distinctive plant palette and layout, signage and landmark elements at main access/ interchange points. -- Improvements to the old highway alignment including streetscaping, tree planting, provision of additional parking spaces and better pedestrian amenity through pedestrian thresholds or widening pavements. -- Access to the bypassed town/ village should generally remain on the same alignment as the original route unless change to the structure and function of the area is desirable. Because land uses such as shopping, housing, schools and open space evolve over time to fit with the main traffic routes through an area, changing these routes can have effects on the community.

IMPROVED STREETSCAPE OPPORTUNITIES

VISUAL CONNECTION TO THE TOWN CENTRE PROVIDED AT THE ALBURY BYPASS

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• Upgrade Rest Area facilities – there are many small facilities that provide a place to stop, rest and relax. -- Consider frequency and location of rest stops. -- Consider minimum amenity requirements according to rest area type. Amenities may include tables, seating and shade structures.

• Enhance inter-regional connection points to provide legibility in the highway journey at Bruxner Highway, Gwydir Highway, Waterfall Way, Oxley Highway, Kamilaroi Highway and Golden Highway. -- At connection points consider providing distinctive tree plantings and/ or plant palette and layout, such as occurs at the intersection/ transition between the Hume Highway and the Federal Highway north of Canberra.

BUCHANAN REST AREA ON THE HUNTER EXPRESSWAY SERVICES BOTH MOTORISTS AND TRUCK DRIVERS AND PROVIDES HIGH QUALITY AMENITIES INCLUDING TOILETS, PICNIC SHELTERS AND SEPARATED TRUCK REST AREAS

AVENUES OF POPLARS MARK THE TRANSITION FROM/ TO THE HUME HIGHWAY AND FEDERAL HIGHWAY NORTH OF CANBERRA. THE DECIDUOUS PLANTS PROVIDE A DISTINCTIVE NATURAL LANDMARK THAT CHANGES WITH THE SEASONS. [PHOTOS GOOGLE MAPS]

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• Improve the amenity and appearance of town centre approaches. Areas typically characterised by industrial, service or large retail areas or residential. Industrial, service or larger retail areas can be visually cluttered with large signage, have poor quality architecture and large areas of car parking with minimal streetscaping and no footpaths. Residential areas generally have cultural plantings and turf on private property which contribute to the overall landscaped feel but with no plantings in the street verges.

• Improve the amenity of approaches corridor verges. Generally these areas -- A consistent character and improved amenity could be provided by provision of trees for shade and provision of footpaths or shared paths to encourage walking and cycling. -- Space constraints may require consideration of plantings on private property.

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7.0 How to Use the Framework The Centre for Urban Design should be contacted at the start of any New England Highway project. The New England Highway Framework applies to all phases of the ProjectPack process as follows:

Phase Stage Key Urban Design Actions

1 Centre for Urban Design to review urban design brief for development phase of work. 2 Registered urban design contractor to be engaged to Strategic Design carry out contextual analysis, review New England Highway Urban Design Framework and assess route options against the 7 objectives of the New England Highway Urban Design Framework.

Development 3 Registered urban design contractor to be engaged with engineers to develop concept design as best practice integrated urban design and engineering in line with Environmental New England Highway Urban Design Framework. Assessment & Approvals 4 Registered urban design contractor to be engaged Concept Design to carry out landscape character and visual impact Development assessment in parallel with concept development. 5 Centre for Urban Design to review concept design and landscape character and visual impact assessment.

6 Centre for Urban Design to review urban design brief or Scope of Works and Technical Criteria 7 Registered urban design contractor to be engaged with engineers to develop detailed design in line with Delivery Readiness concept design, New England Highway Urban Design Framework and RMS urban design policy and guidelines. Delivery 8 Centre for Urban Design to review tender submissions.

9 Project built in accordance with integrated urban design and engineering design. Centre for Urban Design Delivery to be involved in monitoring of implementation and KRA assessment against the 7 objectives of the New England Highway Urban Design Framework.

10 Centre for Urban Design to be involved in post completion review. 11 Centre for Urban Design to be involved in monitoring of landscape maintenance. Finalisation/ Finalisation 12 For all additions to the New England Highway such operation as rest areas, variable message signs, gantries, new bridges and interchanges refer to the Centre for Urban Design for advice on the application of the New England Highway Urban Design Framework and other urban design guideline documents.

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8.0 References • http://www.planning.nsw.gov.au/~/media/Files/DPE/Plans-and-policies/draft-hunter-regional-plan-2015-11. ashx • Beyond the Pavement - RMS urban design policy, procedures and design principles, RMS, January 2014. • Bridge Aesthetics - Design Guidelines to Improve the Appearance of Bridges in NSW, RMS, July 2012. • Landscape guideline - Landscape design and maintenance guidelines to improve the quality, safety and cost effectiveness of road corridor planting and seeding, RTA, April 2008. • Noise wall design guideline - Design guidelines to improve the appearance of noise walls in NSW, RTA, March 2016. • Shotcrete Design Guidelines - Design guideline to improve the appearance of Shotcrete in NSW, RMS, March 2016. • Pacific Highway Urban Design Framework 2013 - Urban Design Vision, Objectives and Design Principles for the Upgrade of the Pacific Highway from Hexham to Tweed Heads,

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New England Highway Urban Design

Framework