The high profile, but often controversial, project has been a long time coming.

The civic building opened in 1977 and has had no major improvements in its physical structure since then.

A worldwide competition was launched in 2005 for a design for an "iconic building" to house not only the city's valuable art collection but touring exhibitions.

A $35 million design similar to Melbourne's Federation Square was chosen from a field of 31 contenders. But it was scrapped in 2008 when money and politics determined the vision to be too grand.

A year later, a more modest suggestion costing about half the price at $20 million was put forward. Almost three years on and with $14.2 million secured from local and federal governments, gallery investments, the community and donors, planning has now reached the stage of calling tenders for detailed design works.

It is obvious the gallery is not just a resource for Newcastle, but for the whole of the Hunter Valley.

The community's interest in and willingness to visit quality exhibitions is evidenced by the large numbers attending the present showing, Australian Modern Masterpieces. Close to 5000 people have passed through the doors since the December opening of works including those by William Dobell, Arthur Boyd, Russell Drysdale, Sidney Nolan and Brett Whiteley.

The city owns a magnificent collection of artworks yet the space constraints of the present gallery mean only about 2 per cent is ever on display, a terrible waste of resources and opportunity.

With the gallery works back on the agenda, it becomes even more imperative for the council to quickly resolve the future of Laman Street and its problematic trees.

The civic authority is moving that way, confirming its intention to remove the street's 14 figs this summer and replace them with two rows of new trees.

A new-look gallery in a reopened Laman Street, coupled with the proposed new law courts across the way, will present a much smarter civic precinct befitting a regional capital.