An update on the Council’s Ambition for North Tyneside was presented to Cabinet last night (26 June), highlighting the regeneration successes delivered across the borough so far.
The vision, which was established in 2018, builds on the Mayor’s and Cabinet’s promises to the borough for the next four years through the ‘Our North Tyneside Plan’, which aims to make sure everyone is ready for school, work and life, cared for, healthy and safeguarded, and that the area is a great place to live, work and visit.
The latest report sets out the wide range of activities that have been delivered over the past 12 months and provides an overview of work currently underway across North Tyneside.
Cllr Carl Johnson, Deputy Mayor for North Tyneside and cabinet member responsible for Regeneration and Economic Development, said: “North Tyneside has always been about ambition, and this plan spells out our future hopes for the borough that we intend to achieve through working closely with our partners and our communities.
“As a council we are ambitious, we do care and we listen. Working alongside my Cabinet and officers we have looked closely at what residents and businesses in each part of the borough need.
“I want to take this opportunity to thank our officers and partners for all their hard work over the past year to help us achieve these great accomplishments, making North Tyneside a great place to live, work and visit.”
The ‘Ambition for North Tyneside’ plan looks at all four parts of the borough – the South West, the North West, the North East and the South East.
It considers what each area needs, what the council is trying to achieve with those communities, what has been delivered over the last 15 years, what is being done now, what will happen next and what will be done if and when it is possible.
A few highlights from the report included:
- In the South West Hadrian’s Health centre is now open, it has transformed healthcare services in the area by bringing together local clinicians and a range of community health services in the heart of Wallsend. Following a public consultation earlier this year, Cabinet gave approval for the ambition for Wallsend plan to be updated and projects to be progressed, with funding being actively sought.
- In the North West, feasibility funding was secured to undertake traffic surveys at Moor Farm roundabout in preparation for developments at Killingworth Moor Housing Site and future investments at Indigo Park, as well as exploring opportunities to invest in the Waggonways and assets such as Killingworth Lake Park.
- In the North East, the final section of regeneration works to Whitley Bay’s Northern Promenade were completed in August, further enhancing the quality of the built environment along the coast.
- In the South East, work to deliver the Council’s Ambition for North Shields is well underway, with the redevelopment to the historic Northumberland Square and Howard Street now complete, works commencing on the highly anticipated Riverside Embankment Walkway, and the new Transport Hub and town square set to open in September.
As part of the update on the Council’s ambitions, Cabinet got its first look at a report on exciting new plans for the North West of the borough.
The Council engaged with residents in the area through its Big Community Conversation in the summer of 2022 – with the feedback used to better understand the opportunities and challenges in the North West.
The ambition for the North West will be built around three key priorities:
- Improving transport links – Through the development of a North West Transport Plan, the Council will aim to ensure that all residents are well connected to the rest of the region, whether that be for leisure, education, training or employment opportunities.
- Access to local services – Making sure that residents can easily access local services including healthcare, education, retail and leisure.
- Caring for the environment and a sense of belonging – Looking after the local area and supporting the communities by maintaining open spaces, highways, footpaths and cycleways to a high standard.
And now, following Cabinet’s approval, the Council will begin work on wider engagement with residents of the North West with the goal of creating a more detailed plan of work going forward.
Cllr Johnson added: “We know what a positive difference our regeneration work has made in other parts of the borough. Through our engagement with residents in the North West, we know how much their local area means to them and we want to repay the pride they have.
“These proposals are in the very early stages, but I’m excited to be able to bring these before Cabinet and get the creation of these plans underway.”
The Authority allocated £2m per year for five years (2021-26) through its budget setting process, with an additional £32m in external match-funding provided by partners from the North of the Tyne Combined Authority (NTCA), the North East Local Enterprise Partnership, central Government and the private sector.
ENDS
