high west jesmond – Page 14 – High West Jesmond

November 8, 2017

Residents’ meeting for Streets for People Moorfield & Ilford Road proposals

What changes would you make to Jesmond to encourage you to walk more, cycle more or let the kids play out?

That’s what Newcastle City Council asked residents in three areas of the city – Jesmond; Arthur’s Hill & Fenham; and Ouseburn & Heaton as part of the Council’s process for determining how to spend £3m of Cycle City Ambition Fund money in these areas.

Moorfield proposals

Included within the Jesmond proposals are plans for Moorfield & the junction with Ilford Road, High West Jesmond with a public consultation open until 30 November 2017.

Residents meeting – Monday 13 November

HWJRA (High West Jesmond Residents’ Association) would like to meet with local residents so that we can guage local opinion on the proposals and then submit a response on behalf of HWJRA.

Come along to the residents meeting which will take place in the main room at Jesmond Library, St George’s Terrace, Jesmond, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE2 2DL on Monday 13 November 2017 at 18:30 where you can find out more and let us know your views.

Cabinet lead talks about Streets for People

Hear Cllr Arlene Ainsley, Cabinet Member for Transport and Air Quality talk about Streets for People in a short video posted on to the Newcastle City Council Facebook page today.

More about Streets for People

You can find out more about Streets for People in our previous news article on this website.

November 8, 2017

“Monstrous New Year’s Eve bonfire” to take place on Newcastle’s Town Moor

NewcastleGateshead Initiative and Newcastle City Council have announced a new event to take place on Newcastle’s Town Moor on 31 December – celebrating New Year’s Eve in theatrical style with a beastly bonfire and a breath-taking firework display.

East of the Sun, West of the Moon will take place from 4pm – 6pm and is produced in collaboration with outdoor arts experts Walk the Plank, the team behind the hugely popular New Year’s Eve carnivals of previous years.

Entry is free of charge but ticketed. A ballot system will be operating to ensure a fair ticketing process and people will be able to apply online to enter the draw.

In the days counting down to the end of 2017, local people who pass through Exhibition Park and onto the Town Moor may notice a thicket of brambles and the shapes of strange animals in the undergrowth as a thorny lair begins to take shape and grow in size as we approach New Year’s Eve.

This incredible structure will form a monstrous bonfire, the centre piece to the evening’s theatrics, which will also include processions of dancers and masked people from local community groups.

The event takes inspiration from Norse mythology and local folklore and will culminate in a firework finale.

Vikki Leaney, Senior Festivals and Events Manager at NewcastleGateshead Initiative said: “We’re thrilled to be working once again with Walk the Plank to produce a brand-new event to mark New Year’s Eve in Newcastle. With East of the Sun, West of the Moon, we hope to take the popular dark and supernatural spirit of our previous New Year’s Eve carnivals to create something equally unique and memorable.

“We are inviting people to come and celebrate the end of the calendar year, the promise of new possibilities, and the rise of a New Year sun with an unforgettable experience on the last day of 2017.”

Walk The Plank and Newcastle City Council will be working with over 250 community group participants to create meaningful opportunities for community engagement and participation in a high quality and professional performance. Prior to the event these community participants will take part in artistic workshops to create costumes and masks, before performing in the fire-lit parade on the night itself.

Newcastle City Council’s Cabinet Member for Culture and Communities, Cllr Kim McGuinness, said: “This year’s event promises to be more spectacular than ever, and offers something for everyone. Its new location on the Town Moor gives the event an open space so more people can attend and get close to the action on the night.

“As with previous years, community engagement lies at the heart of our New Year’s Eve celebrations. Community groups from right across the city will come together and create a fantastic performance for all to see. We hope to inspire and engage people of all ages to get involved or to come along and celebrate the end of 2017 and welcome in 2018 in good spirits.”

Liz Pugh, Walk the Plank Creative Producer, said: “We’re delighted to be returning to Newcastle once again on New Year’s Eve, and this time with an innovative new piece of work. Whilst previous year’s winter carnivals in the centre of the city were hugely popular, they presented several restrictions and limitations – so this refresh in format and location on Newcastle’s Town Moor has enabled us to explore a range of creative avenues and new ideas. We look forward to putting on an unforgettable show and welcoming 2018 in dramatic style!”

Sponsored by Jamie Clark Fun Fairs, there will be a range of funfair entertainment and food and drink concessions available. The event will also be hosted by Heart FM’s Tom Campbell who will keep everyone entertained prior to the main event.

Children must be accompanied by an adult. Suitable footwear and waterproof winter clothing are a must.

Timings

The approximate timings for East of the Sun, West of the Moon are:

4pm: Event space will open for visitors to gather and enjoy the funfair and entertainment
5pm: The main performance will begin
6pm: Event finale
* All timings are approximate and subject to change

East of the Sun, West of the Moon is a free event but will be ticketed using a ballot system. All applicants will hear the outcome of their ballot entry in the first week of December 2017.

More information

For more information and to apply to be included in the draw, visit www.NewcastleGateshead.com/NYE

The above news release was issued by Newcastle City Council and included on the Newcastle City Council website. It has been included here for information and does not necessarily represent the views of High West Jesmond Residents’ Association.

October 17, 2017October 17, 2017

Mobike launches its bike sharing platform in Newcastle

Mobike, the world’s first and largest smart bikeshare, officially launched its smart cycling scheme in Newcastle.

Starting from 16 October 2017, residents will now be able to download the app and use Mobike’s high tech silver and orange iconic bikes across Newcastle.

After successfully piloting the UK’s first council- and community-backed bicycle sharing scheme in Manchester, expanding to London and announcing a strategic partnership with British Cycling over the past few months, Mobike will deliver an initial 1,000 bikes to Newcastle, building on the bikes’ popularity with local councils and people across the country.

Over time, Mobike will work with the city to increase that number to meet growing demand for the service.

As with all of its city launches, Mobike has been working closely with Newcastle City Council and in collaboration with Northumbria University, Newcastle University and Newcastle Great Park, to adapt its operations to local demand, transport habits and cycling culture.

The Mobike app will guide users towards the best locations to pick up and park the bikes.

Newcastle users will be able to pay a discounted £2 deposit until 18 October 2017. After that, they will pay the same deposit as Manchester and London users when they sign up – £29. Riders will be charged 50p for 30 minutes.

The scheme is designed to benefit users, local business and communities, as well as Newcastle City Council by providing tailored data insights.

Unique to Mobike, the company’s entire fleet of over 7 million bikes are equipped with GPS and proprietary smart-lock technology that connect through the world’s largest mobile-enabled Internet of Things (IoT) platform.

Analysis of this data can help improve infrastructure planning in the long term, encourage proper cycling etiquette, as well as manage supply of bikes in specific locations with high demand.

Steve Pyer, UK General Manager for Mobike, said: “We’re really excited to kick off our operations in Newcastle today. It’s very rewarding to see the continuous support we get from a variety of organisations for the scheme, and from businesses keen to get involved in lots of different ways.

The city has a great ambition for improving its cycling culture and infrastructure, and we hope to play an important part in this initiative.”

Cllr Arlene Ainsley, Cabinet member for transport and air quality at Newcastle City Council, said: “It’s fantastic news that Newcastle has today become the third city in the UK to formally welcome Mobike. Like many cities, one of our major transport priorities is to reduce congestion and pollution which is caused by traffic. These problems have a negative impact on both our local economy and our health.

“One of the ways we can all make a difference is by making fewer journeys by car – particularly those shorter journeys across town which can often put a big strain on our road network. The introduction of this exciting new cycle hire scheme gives people the opportunity to change the way they travel and also improve their own health and the health of our city as a whole.”

David Jackson, Assistant Director, Campus Services, Northumbria University, added: “The launch of the Mobike Scheme is fantastic news for the city and Northumbria University is proud that through our involvement we are able to offer this opportunity to our staff, students and visitors. Mobike’s arrival will encourage students and staff to swap the car and take a bike, which will support financial savings, health and wellbeing benefits and improved air quality in the city.”

More information about Mobike

Watch Cllr Arlene Ainsley, Cabinet member for transport and air quality at Newcastle City Council talk about Mobike in this short video from YouTube:

You can find out more about Mobike on their website at mobike.com

You can download the Mobike App from the Apple App Store or Google Play.

October 16, 2017November 8, 2017

Streets for People: Proposal to change road layout at Moorfield/Ilford Road

The council have today opened consultation on a series of proposals to make changes to streets in the Jesmond and High West Jesmond area as part of the Streets for People initiative.

The proposals are aimed at improving provision for pedestrians and cyclists throughout the area.

One of the proposals involves redesigning the junction of Ilford Road and Moorfield as well as adding a cycle lane, relaying pathway and narrowing the main carriageway on Moorfield.

The outline plans can be viewed following the Moorfield Information Sheet link below and further detail can be found at the information stand in Jesmond library and also the Streets for People website streetsforpeople.org.uk/jesmond

Take part in the consultation process

The proposed changes would have a significant impact on Moorfield so HWJRA would strongly encourage all local residents – and particularly those who live on or close to Moorfield – to take a close look at the plans and to participate in the consultation programme that the council has opened up.

You can feed back your thoughts on the proposal anytime up until 30 November 2017 via the Streets for People website or by completing a questionnaire at Jesmond Library.

Meeting for HWJ residents

We plan to arrange a meeting for local residents so that the Residents Association can gauge local opinion on this proposal and submit our own response to the council which would be in addition to responses from individual residents.