North Tyneside cabinet is set to agree the next steps towards creating a masterplan for Wallsend making the town centre a great place to live, work and visit.
The masterplan will prioritise making improvements to the quality of housing in the town by renovating poor-quality properties and building new homes, connecting residents to good jobs through further education, transport infrastructure and putting Wallsend on the map for employers.
Work has already been carried out to improve the housing offer in the town centre, with the Council recently repurposing flats on Charlotte Street into new family homes, this development was made following significant issues of poor property management and anti-social behaviour.
The Council continues to engage with partners to support the delivery of a new healthcare centre behind the Forum Shopping Centre, providing much needed new facilities to the town centre.
New employment opportunities are in the pipeline for the town following the recent purchase of the former Swan Hunter site by Shepherd Offshore Ltd, working in partnership with the Council to redevelop the former shipyard into Swans Energy Park.
Cllr Carl Johnson, Deputy Mayor of North Tyneside, said: “It’s fantastic that we are now able to start work on designing a masterplan for Wallsend, creating a vision of a vibrant and connected town centre for our residents to live in, to work in and to visit.
“We are working to secure funding for the town and are working with landowners, ward councillors and stakeholders to fully understand the opportunities and challenges in this diverse part of the Borough.
Funding for the masterplan is actively being secured from the North East LEP and North of Tyne Combined Authority funding pots.
Segedunum Roman Fort and Museum will be upgraded following a £499,000 Government grant from the Cultural Investment Fund, which will see the installation of a new lift, roof repairs and new equipment to control the conditions in the galleries, protecting the museum’s internationally important collection.
Cllr Johnson added: “Going forward, we plan to use this opportunity to tackle some of the poorer quality privately rented accommodation as well as building new homes for the town.
“We plan to improve the street scene and public spaces, working with partners to make sure people feel safe at all times of the day.
“We want to make sure residents are connected to good jobs, through adult education, apprenticeships and creating better transport infrastructure, and ensuring employers recognise Wallsend as an accessible location with a motivated and skilled workforce.
“We are proud to be a listening Council and we appreciate the thoughts and concerns of our residents. We will continue to listen to our residents, businesses and communities as we continue to develop the Masterplan for Wallsend. A full consultation on our proposals will be held before any further work starts.”
The plans to regenerate Wallsend are part of the Council’s Our North Tyneside Plan 2021-25, which aims to build a better Borough, looking to the future and listening to residents and working better for them.