BY TYLER FARDELL

NEWCASTLE’s city centre is set for some big changes following the governments support of an innovation project, aiming to turn NEWCASTLE into a ‘digital precinct’.

A total of 9.8 million dollars has been committed by the state government with a further 8 million dollars coming from Newcastle city council, the University of Newcastle, Newcastle Now and Hunter DiGiT.

A new innovation hub is set to be developed, along with free public Wi-Fi, cutting edge smart parking and smart street lighting technology.

Premier Mike Baird visited Newcastle to announce the funding and praised the innovative project.

“The Hunter Innovation Project will provide a significant boost for Newcastle and capitalise on it’s strong education and research sectors, the region’s highly skilled workforce and diverse range of industries”.



Artists impression of the ‘Innovation hub’ at the corner of King and Auckland streets

Photo source: The Newcastle Herald