Residents, visitors and families were out in force on Thursday to help launch the first phase of North Tyneside’s £11m Seafront Sustainable Route.
A section of the seafront between Tynemouth Front Street and the Aquarium has been transformed into a safer, more accessible, and visually stunning space for walking, wheeling, and cycling.
On Thursday afternoon, Sharpness Point in Tynemouth came alive with a special event where dozens of people enjoyed fun activities against the backdrop of the newly upgraded seafront.
The project, delivered by North Tyneside Council and funded by Active Travel England, the North East Combined Authority, and Sustrans, with Capita building it, aims to encourage active travel along the award-winning coast.
The first section includes 1.7km of resurfaced footpaths and 1.8km of road, a dedicated cycle route, 10 new zebra crossings, and 50 new cycle parking spaces.
A 20mph speed limit is now in place to make travel along the scenic stretch safer and more enjoyable.
The route will eventually span the full five miles of North Tyneside’s coast, from St Mary’s to Tynemouth, with Phase Two set to begin this autumn.
Dame Norma Redfearn DBE, North Tyneside’s Elected Mayor, was joined by partners from Active Travel England, Sustrans, and Capita to officially open the new section.
She said: “I’m delighted to celebrate the completion of the first phase with our community, and to see the new route already being well used.
“This project improves the seafront experience for all visitors by offering a safe and sustainable route, creating more inviting public spaces, and ensuring continued access for cars and public transport.
“It strengthens links between communities, businesses, and attractions, improves air quality, and promotes a healthier environment. The feedback has been overwhelmingly positive so far, with many saying how much safer and more enjoyable their journeys have become.
“We’re thankful to have secured the investment for such a high-quality scheme and we appreciate the support of Active Travel England, the North East Combined Authority, Sustrans, and Capita in making this a reality.
“Our progress reflects our shared dedication to creating a healthier, more environmentally friendly future for the borough. Embracing active travel offers physical and mental health benefits and contributes to a greener environment.
“We’re excited about how this project will continue to transform our award-winning coastline and we look forward to starting work on Phase Two.”
North East Mayor, Kim McGuinness, said: “This is such an exciting project that will help to make walking, wheeling and cycling safer and more enjoyable along our amazing North Tyneside coastline.
“When it’s fully up and running, the new five-mile Seafront Sustainable Route will be transformative for local people – boosting tourism in the area, improving air quality and creating a well-designed space for active travel.
"By investing in transport schemes like this, we will help to encourage more people to choose to travel actively when they can. This is great news for local people.”
Chief Executive of Active Travel England Danny Williams said: “North Tyneside’s Seafront Sustainable Route is a fantastic scheme that will create safer, seamless active travel options for thousands of residents and visitors to use for years to come.
“Enabling more people to walk, wheel or cycle to where they need to be is one of the most effective actions, we can take to help build a happier, healthier and greener nation, and we will continue to invest in great infrastructure projects like this one as we work to improve lives across the country.”
Rosslyn Colderley, Director for Sustrans in the North of England said: “I’m delighted to launch the first phase of the Sustainable Seafront Route from Tynemouth to St Mary’s. This is a fantastic example of how the local community led the campaign for a permanent, safe traffic-free route for walking, wheeling and cycling and were actively involved in the design process.
“The new segregated path makes it practical and enjoyable for many more people of all ages and abilities to make healthier, greener journeys to school, work or for leisure. We worked with the community and the Council to create a route that is accessible for people using mobility aids, double buggies and larger cycles, so it really is a path for everyone.
“We anticipate it will encourage more sustainable tourism too, as more daytrippers and cycling families learn about this high-quality path in a beautiful coastal location. This will have knock-on benefits for local businesses and the wider economy, while looking after the special landscape and nature of this special area.”
Dale Wood, Capita Managing Director Local Government and Housing Capita Public Service, said: “We feel great pride in managing the construction of such a fantastic project on behalf of the Council.
“Our team has worked closely with businesses and residents along phase one of the route to ensure the work has been completed with as little inconvenience as possible. However, on a Project of such a scale, some disruption is inevitable, and I would like to thank the residents and the public for their patience as we worked to transform the seafront.
“As work has progressed while we have been on site, it has been a joy to watch walkers and wheelers start to use the new two-way segregated route. We look forward to constructing phase two to bring the full scheme together.”
