Updated
Newcastle's lord mayor has resigned from a council committee overseeing the redevelopment of the city's regional art gallery.
Jeff McCloy ruffled feathers earlier this year when he unveiled his own plans for the upgrade, extending the gallery into the library and moving the library to the former Post Office in Hunter Street.
Chair of the council's gallery control group, Councillor Tim Crackanthorp says it was clear the lord mayor has a very different view of the gallery project to the rest of the team.
Councillor Crackanthorp says the group will now press ahead with the original plan to upgrade the existing gallery building.
"Council has endorsed this $21 million project, we've got a development application," he said.
"Jeff certainly has another vision for the post office, which we all love and would like to see revitalised, but that's an ageing 19th century building which I don't think ratepayers really want.
"But that's another issue, and we're full steam ahead on this one."
Councillor McCloy says now is not the time to be spending millions of dollars on a gallery upgrade.
"It's untenable at this time to do so," he said.
"Even if the building was brought back to $21 million, we've cut back services, we've got a massive over-run in our deficit, for us to commit $7 million or at worst $14 million in my point of view is quite irresponsible."
The gallery control group met this morning to discuss the upgrade, which is still waiting on a $7 million state contribution, after council and the Federal Government each committed matching funds.
But, Jeff McCloy says he has no intention of asking the Premier for the money and he will be focussing instead on fixing the council's operational debt.
"I just find it a waste of time, there are so many things to do in this city, to chase this particular rainbow at this particular time, I don't want to spend much more effort on that.
"I am doing some homework with previous project managers to see how this thing got into the shape it got into, which will help me in deliberations, but no, I have many other things to do."
Topics: library-museum-and-gallery, local-government, newcastle-2300
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