IT'S time Newcastle City Council butted out and allowed the development of the former Newcastle post office site to progress unheeded, says Newcastle MP Jodi McKay. It was "extraordinary" that the council continued to try to put hurdles in front of the developer while most of the community wanted the project to go head, Ms McKay told The Herald. Her comments followed complaints from some councillors about developer Sean Ngu's intentions to transfer 16 poker machine licences to the site when it becomes a hotel. Councillor Keith Parsons asserted this week that Mr Ngu had made a commitment that the site would remain poker machine-free. He is urging the council to write to Ms McKay, the NSW Gaming Minister and the NSW Liquor Administration Board to express its "strong opposition" to Mr Ngu's application but Ms McKay said she would not be intervening. "I find it quite extraordinary that the council continues to find hurdles while that building remains in such a decrepit and unacceptable state," Ms McKay said. "People want that project moved forward. Council has put forward every obstacle it can. What should be the centrepiece of the city is boarded up, it's quite disgraceful. It is not the council's place to interfere in this." Ms McKay said she hoped to meet with Mr Ngu in the next two weeks to let him know he had her full support for moving ahead with the project. Lord Mayor John Tate said he agreed with Ms McKay that the council's opinion would have no bearing on what happened in relation to poker machines'. "Whether it's a good project or an exceptionally good project, it's got all of the approvals and the thing we should be doing is to get on with it," Cr Tate said. "[Cr Parsons] said himself that he knows we can't influence the decision, it's for another authority beyond council." Mr Ngu was overseas and unavailable for comment yesterday but his spokesman, Deane Moore, said he had no recollection of any undertaking being made by Mr Ngu about poker machine licences. "It's news to me," he said. "The licence has always had gaming attached to it." Mr Moore said both he and Mr Ngu were growing increasingly frustrated at the delays they had experienced.