North Tyneside Council has bold plans for the North West of the Borough, creating attractive places to live, new opportunities for work and business, and inspiring spaces to play and visit.
Ambition for the North West
The North West of North Tyneside
The North West of North Tyneside is a great place to live. It has a proud industrial and mining heritage, is surrounded by green spaces and is linked by a network of historic waggonways.
It includes: Killingworth Village and Town, Annitsford, Dudley, Fordley, Camperdown, Burradon, Wideopen, Seaton Burn, Forest Hall, Westmoor, Benton, Longbenton, Palmersville and Holystone.
The area offers a broad range of housing and sees strong demand from families who want to live there. It sits in the Newcastle-upon-Tyne commuter belt, with road links via the A19 and A1, and Tyne and Wear Metro stations at Longbenton, Four Lane Ends, Benton, Palmersville and Northumberland Park. It is home to the Council’s strategic employment site Indigo Park, and Quorum Business Park, a major employment location.
What's in the plan
Ambition for the North West is part of North Tyneside Council’s Our North Tyneside Plan, which has brought forward Borough-wide regeneration schemes including Ambition for North Shields and Ambition for Wallsend.
Ambition for the North West projects include improvements to Killingworth Lakeside Park, new village plans, enhancing the waggonways network, transport plans and inner area plans.
Killingworth Lakeside Park
Killingworth Lake will be developed into a destination park for locals and visitors with ecology-friendly landscaping.
It is a popular park with its play area, café kiosk, birdlife, fishing, wetlands and woodlands.
Plans for Killingworth Lake include:
- A new playsite
- A shelter/ community space
- Improved parking areas
- Tree management and tree and scrub planting to enhance biodiversity
- New street furniture and entrance features
- Improved cycle and pedestrian routes
- A new café hub will be explored if funding becomes available.
Village plans
The Council is working with residents on village plans for Killingworth, Annitsford, Dudley, Fordley, Camperdown, Burradon, Wideopen and Seaton Burn.
One hundred people attended consultation events across the North West of the Borough in summer 2024. People were asked about the look and feel of their village, community activities, services and facilities. Another 140 people completed an online survey.
New village plans will be published in October 2025. Village plan projects include proposals for:
Village identities: Celebrate each village’s identity and maintain their open spaces, highways, footpaths and cycleways with new signage, landscaping including planting and trees, street furniture, road markings, and opportunities for public art at the main entrances of each village.
Pride of place: Enhance environmental services to support housing estates, with a focus on weed removal and tackling litter. Aiming to keep standards high, make improvements, and create a sense of ownership and pride.
Fryer’s Millennium Green: Refresh Fryer's Millennium Green in Burradon, improving the look, usefulness, and accessibility of this green space for the community.
Keegan Park: Transform Keegan Park in Killingworth into a safe and well-maintained space, reducing anti-social behaviour by creating a welcoming environment that can be used more by the community.
Enhancing adult education offer: The North West of North Tyneside is home to a diverse population with varying educational and vocational needs. This project aims to expand adult learning opportunities, providing residents with the skills and qualifications they need to improve their employment prospects, engage in lifelong learning, and contribute to the local economy.
Community partnership activities: Sustain and enhance the existing community partnership activities in the North West of North Tyneside, with stronger community ties and more local people getting involved.
Raising awareness of activities on offer: Promote what is happening in the local area and help residents access community and leisure activities.
Annitsford Pond: Support for the Friends of Annitsford Pond group, to create safe and accessible routes for walking and enjoying the nature reserve.
Burradon community facilities: Explore how existing community facilities within Burradon can be used to host a wider range of activities.
Seaton Burn community facilities: Support new and existing community groups in Seaton Burn.
Weetslade employment site: North Tyneside Council is working with two developers with proposals for the eastern side of Indigo Park, as part of the wider Weetslade employment site.
Annitsford Farm: Annitsford Farm, on the outskirts of Annitsford village, presents an opportunity for residential development that meets the local community’s needs while respecting the rural character of the area. The project seeks to support an appropriate housing development that fits well with existing infrastructure, and enhances the surrounding environment.
Waste recycling: Help our communities in the North West of the Borough to easily access waste services, including recycling facilities and bulky waste, with options for better and more convenient access to these services.
Access to finance: Work with banks and local community groups to explore the delivery of banking services in the villages.
Waggonways
The waggonways are a much-valued resource for the entire Borough. Spreading out from the former mines at Seaton Burn towards Earsdon, the original routes south to the river have been successfully developed into popular walking and cycling routes.
It is proposed to develop the network between Seaton Burn and Camperdown, focusing on heritage, biodiversity, and active travel.
The refresh of the North West waggonway network will include:
- Improved surfaces and drainage to make the routes more accessible
- Improved connections from nearby villages
- New signage and information boards
- Information on how the waggonways connect to each other and to local visitor attractions and points of interest
- Improvements to the landscape to attract wildlife
- New wetland woodland and grassland habitats
- Creation of heritage and nature trails
- New seating areas.
Transport plans
As part of our Transport Strategy for the North West of the Borough we will work with transport operators, the voluntary sector and other partners on potential improvements to public transport links. We will work with the North East Combined Authority on the feasibility of a new station on the East Coast Main Line in the Killingworth area, improve active travel routes and explore options for cleaner and shared vehicles.
Inner area plans
The North West Inner Area Plan will set out a framework for investment to create vibrant and attractive places to live that are well maintained and have good access to services.
Plans will be prepared for the following areas:
- Forest Hall
- West Moor
- Benton
- Longbenton
- Palmersville
- Holystone.
Initial projects have been identified which will be expanded on following feedback from residents when we consult on the plans in spring 2025.
What we've done already
Killingworth Lake
A major flood alleviation project has been delivered by North Tyneside Council and the Environment Agency by recontouring parts of the site and introducing new planting. This improves the visitor experience and makes the drainage in the area more sustainable.
Killingworth Moor housing site
The Killingworth Moor Masterplan is delivering approximately 2,000 much-needed family homes, built to high standards of energy efficiency and including affordable housing.
The site benefits from over 10 hectares of open green space for local people and wildlife. Planning approval has been granted for 539 homes, including affordable units, with further applications pending.
Killingworth Young People’s Club
A new 3G pitch has been developed for this well-used community asset, which is home to 20 teams ranging from toddlers to young adults.
Burradon 3G Pitch
A £500,000 project to refurbish the Burradon Community Recreation Ground, offering modern facilities and new opportunities for local clubs and residents. The project has seen the creation of a new mini soccer artificial grass pitch, suitable for year-round football. The pitch is managed and operated by Burradon Juniors Football Club for community use. On the same site, a new irrigation system has been installed at the bowling green for a high-performance surface, and football changing rooms were revamped for easier club access.
Contact Us
Email: AmbitionNW@northtyneside.gov.uk
Tel: (0191) 643 1441
Address: Council Offices, Regeneration, 1st Floor Left, The Silverlink North, Cobalt Business Park, NE27 0BY