Tag: high west jesmond

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Moorfield – council developing plans designed to improve the neighbourhood

Newcastle City Council has announced that it is developing plans designed to improve neighbourhoods across the city.

Council leaflet

A leaflet from Newcastle City Council has been posted through letterboxes in High West Jesmond.

The city council leaflet says:

“We will update you soon on proposals for your area to reduce traffic levels and make local streets safer.  This could include introducing new crossings, trialling the closure of through routes to vehicles by using large planters or bollards to restrict access at certain places, tightening junctions to reduce traffic speeds and introducing School Streets that mean people can’t park outside schools at pick up or drop off times.

We believe that making these changes will help create safer, clearner and greener neighbourhoods.  We’re asking residents to get in touch with us to tell us about any issues you would like us to consider using the contact details below.  Please tell us by 20 February 2022 to help us tackle the issues that matter to you.

Go to newcastle.gov.uk/neighbourhoods for more information

Email neighbourhoods@newcastle.gov.uk

Or call 0191 278 2767.

Transport Team, Newcastle City Council.”

Neighbourhood page on council website

The following news release was also issued by Newcastle City Council:

Making changes in the city to create safer, cleaner and greener neighbourhoods 

We are developing plans to improve neighbourhoods across the city, aimed at reducing traffic on local streets. With less vehicles cutting or speeding through streets the area will be more attractive and safer for people who live there and for children to play. These types of changes also encourage more people to walk and cycle on short local journeys, which is good for everybody.

We recently set out proposals for parts of the city including Arthur’s Hill, Fenham and Heaton and we intend to roll this programme out to more areas (see information below). To help us develop proposals, we are asking residents to tell us about any issues or concerns we need to consider.

Moorfield, Five Admirals and West Jesmond

We will update you soon on proposals for your area to reduce traffic levels and make local streets safer. Please email us at neighbourhoods@newcastle.gov.uk or call 0191 278 2767 to tell us about further issues we need to consider. Please tell us by 20 February to help us tackle the issues that matter to you.

Some of the issues that have previously been raised include:

Moorfield

  • Speeding and traffic levels on Moorfield and neighbouring streets;
  • Vehicles cutting through to and from Station Road on to Jesmond Dene Road and Ilford Road; and
  • Vehicles also using the access onto the Great North Road as a means to avoid queuing on Jesmond Dene Road at the roundabout at the Great North Road.

Five Admirals

  • School related congestion at drop off and pick up times in the vicinity of South Gosforth First School;
  • Speeding and traffic levels on streets around Beatty Avenue, Sturdee Gardens and Keyes Gardens and the residential streets that connect them; and
  • Vehicles cutting through Beatty Avenue and surrounding streets to and from Matthew Bank/Jesmond Dene Road to avoid queuing traffic.

West Jesmond

  • School related congestion at drop off and pick up times in the vicinity of West Jesmond Primary and other schools in the area;
  • Speeding and traffic levels on residential streets West of Osborne Road;
  • Commuter parking in existing permit parking areas; and
  • Speeding and traffic levels on Clayton Road and neighbouring residential streets.

 

The above consultation was issued by Newcastle City Council and is available to read 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. 

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Council confirms traffic restrictions on five bridges to be made permanent

Decisions to permanently close five local bridges to traffic are confirmed by Newcastle City Council

The following news release was issued by Newcastle City Council:

Vehicles have been restricted from using Salters Bridge in Gosforth, Castle Farm Road next to Jesmond Dene, Haldane Bridge in South Jesmond, Argyle Street bridge in Ouseburn, and Stoneyhurst Road Bridge in South Gosforth for just under 18 months, to re-allocate the road space for walking and cycling as part of the council’s response to the pandemic and in line with government’s expectations of councils and local policies to promote active travel.

Cllr Ged Bell, cabinet member for development, neighbourhoods, and transport said:

“We’re committed to creating safer, cleaner and greener neighbourhoods and the closure of these bridges to traffic is a part of achieving this.

“We recognise that public opinion has been split on this, as it often is with measures that prioritise or provide more space for active travel. The closure of some bridges to traffic have been more warmly welcomed than others, but we believe it is the right thing to do to create better neighbourhoods which put people first.”

Cllr Clare Penny-Evans, cabinet member for climate change and public safety said,

“The principle of this programme is really simple and is something we want to roll out across the city. Neighbourhoods should be places people can access by vehicle if they need to, but being able to cut through local streets means people do that, and it makes our neighbourhoods more dangerous. 

“Salters Bridge is a perfect example of this, where we saw many large HGVs navigate over a weak medieval structure, which we had to repeatedly issue warnings on. The closure of this bridge has stopped those vehicles thundering through quiet streets, making the area safer for everyone, particularly for children who can have a sense of playing in their local streets just as many older residents did, before streets were taken over by vehicles.”

Cllr John-Paul Stephenson said,

“We’ve seen the report on air pollution around schools and the dreadful health impact poor air quality can have on children. It is initiatives such as these that will encourage more people out of their cars to walk and cycle on local journeys and improve everyone’s health.”

Cllr Bell added,

“We’ve taken the time to thoroughly review the impact of the closures on local communities and I am satisfied that keeping the bridges closed to traffic supports our policies on transport, tackling air pollution and improving public health, as well as meeting our statutory duties.

“We will press on with our plans to expand more of these initiatives across the city and introducing School Streets following successful trials. Thousands of people will have received leaflets recently in areas across the city inviting them to raise issues in their local areas so we can include them in our thinking.  These types of schemes are important as they ensure local streets are designed for people, and not dominated by vehicles, cleaning up our air and improving our health and wellbeing.”

Experimental Traffic Regulation Orders (ETROs

Using Experimental Traffic Regulation Orders (ETROs), the council re-allocated the road space for people walking and cycling last August, due to the many schools and amenities in the local areas and the environmental and health benefits this brings.

A public consultation ran in the first six months of the closure which generated 42,000 contributions.

These were used to inform the decision-making process, alongside other factors such as traffic levels on surrounding streets, traffic speeds, how many people have been using the bridges for walking and cycling and air quality where monitors are in place.

Minor works near Stoneyhurst Bridge

The review concluded that all five bridges should remain permanently closed, with the potential for some further minor works near Stoneyhurst Bridge to address the concerns of people living east of the bridge.

This work includes improving the visibility from Dene Crescent onto Haddricks Mill Road as well as potentially introducing a one-way system on four of the surrounding streets.

All of the bridges reported good levels of walking and cycling in the area while the impact on the surrounding road network was manageable and there was no indication of a negative impact on road safety.

Discussions have also taken place with emergency services which only raised a potential issue with the closures of Argyle Street Bridge, but following further work those concerns have been addressed.

As a follow up to the closure to the bridges, further proposals for low traffic neighbourhoods in Arthur’s Hill, Fenham and Heaton were launched in November, for people to feedback on any potential issues they may foresee ahead of the council implementing changes in early 2022. Comments received from residents are currently being reviewed, which will inform the final designs of the scheme.

The council are working on a rolling programme of low traffic neighbourhoods across the city with further schemes to be released in the coming weeks, including Jesmond, Shieldfield, West Fenham, Kenton and Ouseburn Valley.

Reports setting out the Delegated Decisions for each of the five bridges is published here 

Argyle St – https://democracy.newcastle.gov.uk/ieDecisionDetails.aspx?ID=10801

Haldane – https://democracy.newcastle.gov.uk/ieDecisionDetails.aspx?ID=10799

Dene Bridge / Castle Farm Rd – https://democracy.newcastle.gov.uk/ieDecisionDetails.aspx?ID=10798

Stoneyhurst – https://democracy.newcastle.gov.uk/ieDecisionDetails.aspx?ID=10802

Salters Bridge- https://democracy.newcastle.gov.uk/ieDecisionDetails.aspx?ID=10800

Further information on low traffic neighbourhoods can be found at www.newcastle.gov.uk/neighbourhoods

The above news story was issued by Newcastle City Council and is available to read 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. 

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Bulky waste collection changes

Newcastle City Council has announced changes to its bulky waste collection procedures

The following news release was issued by Newcastle City Council:

Households looking to dispose of large items of rubbish can do so more often thanks to changes to Newcastle City Council’s bulky waste service.

Previously the dates available for the authority’s paid for collections was linked to a property’s fortnightly general green bin pick-ups.

But now, from Monday August 2, residents will have more choice, with slots for most items available every weekday, and specific white goods collections every Friday.

Cllr Ged Bell, Cabinet member for development, neighbourhoods and transport, said: “We are always looking for ways to improve the services that we offer to residents.

“While we have maintained our regular general waste, recycling and garden waste collections throughout the pandemic, and our recycling centres have been open for the majority of that period, we have seen a huge demand for our bulky waste collection service.

“It is great to see that we can now make changes to increase the amount of choice residents have when booking a paid for pick up, helping our households to dispose of more of their waste in a responsible manner.”

Crews will make paid-for collections of household items that are too large to dispose of in a domestic waste bin from Mondays to Fridays.

This will see residents who book from August 2 onwards offered up to 10 times the options for booking a collection compared to the previous system.

Previously booked pick-ups will take place on their agreed date.

To improve the efficiency of pick-ups white goods only slots – for items like fridges, freezers, dishwashers, washing machines, tumble driers, and ovens – will be available every Friday.

And the 25% discount on the cost of booking a bulky collection, which has been in place during the pandemic continues.

Book a bulky waste collection

For more information about arranging a paid for bulky waste collection please visit www.newcastle.gov.uk/bulkywaste.

Alternatively, to book a pick-up, call 0191 278 7878 and ask for “Your Local Services.”

Residents reminded to put bins out on time

Residents in Newcastle are also being reminded to put their bins out on time.

If it is your bin day then bins must be placed on the kerbside or in a back lane by 6.30am.

Crews can attend at any time from 6.30am to 4.30pm and if a bin is not out in time then they will not return for it.

You can check your bin day here.

Or for more information see our bin policies and rules.

Extracts from Newcastle City Council’s bin policies and rules

What time should I put my bins out?

Bins must be placed on the kerbside by 6.30am on the day of collection. Crews can attend at any time from 6.30am to 4.30pm.If you have a back lane please make sure bins are out in the lane.  If your bin was not out in time the crews will not return for it.

Bins should be visible and not hidden by walls, cars or hedges.

They should be brought back in to your property as soon as possible the same day.

We strongly advise customers to put their bins out early morning on collection day to prevent people contaminating the bins or sifting through the contents.

If you are not able to put bins out in the morning, you can put them out as late as possible the night before. Please be aware though you run the risk of your bin being contaminated if you leave it out.

Please clearly mark your bins with your house number. We ask that residents do not leave bins out all the time, especially in back lane areas.

Where should I put my bins?

You should always keep your bins within the boundaries of your property and not just leave them out all the time on pavements or in lanes. Keep them in your front garden, on your drive or inside your garage or back yard. Please always be considerate to your neighbours and pedestrians.

Bins must be placed out on the kerbside by 6.30am on the day of collection. Crews can attend at any time from 6.30am to 4.30pm. If you have a back lane please make sure bins are out in the lane only on collection day.

The above news story was issued by Newcastle City Council and is available to read 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. 

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2021 HWJRA Annual Report

It’s been two years since our last AGM (the 2020 AGM falling victim to the pandemic) and during this time the Association has been a little less visible than normal as there have been no public meetings and only one newsletter.

However, our social media presence has continued as usual and behind the scenes HWJRA has continued to work with local authorities and stakeholders on various issues of concern to our local community.

HWJRA committee

I would like to record my thanks to the officers and committee who have served for the past two years.

The work is all voluntary and the time put in by officers and committee members is greatly appreciated – so thanks to Fiona Bruce, Jeffrey Fox, Andrew Jackson, Dawn Dunn, John Stephenson, Ian Cavanagh, Katherine Shipley and Cornelia Moosman.

Thanks to FOVALD’s Lending a Hand group

I would also like to record particular thanks to John Stephenson and the Lending A Hand team who work so hard to keep the area’s green spaces clean, tidy and thriving.

This time of year in High West Jesmond is a particular delight with all the blossom and flowers on display and the Lending A Hand team, in combination with Mother Nature, play a significant part in keeping the area so beautiful.

Join HWJRA

We  are always keen to expand membership so if you know of a local resident who isn’t a member then please do encourage them to join.

All they need to do is to email our membership secretary Jeffrey Fox with their name, contact details and address (which must be in High West Jesmond).

You can send a message to us through our Contact page on this website.

High West Jesmond during lockdown

COVID-19 response

It feels like a distant memory now, but at the very beginning of the pandemic there was a lot of uncertainty about what was going to happen and how people would go about their basic day-to-day lives.

A local volunteer group was established to assist people who were unable to get shopping or deal with routine matters and HWJRA distributed details to residents.

Our Facebook group (High West Jesmond Residents Association), website (highwestjesmond.co.uk) and Twitter feed (@highwestjesmond) have also proven to be useful for residents to keep in touch during a time when physical contact has been difficult.

North Shore coffee

As lockdown continued, our area became increasingly popular as a place for people to meet, have a chat, take exercise, and have a coffee.

It has been lovely to see the area’s green spaces put to such good use and the arrival of the North Shore Coffee van gave a particular focus to the Little Moor area.

Larger crowds have an impact on an area so HWJRA has worked hard to try to ensure a balance between promoting the area as a great place to live and visit, whilst maintaining the character of a quiet, leafy residential suburb.

We have liaised closely with Toby, who runs North Shore Coffee, to ensure that he does everything he can to enforce social distancing and to encourage residents to dispose of litter thoughtfully.

Toby has been responsive to all requests from the Association including providing additional bins and making plans (soon to be implemented) for re-turfing areas of grass that have been worn away by people queuing at the van.

The vast majority of feedback that the Association has received about the coffee van has been positive and we are pleased that the owner has been so pro-active and responsive to our requests.

Litter

Lockdown has seen a significant increase in usage of the Little Moor by dog walkers and people meeting for drinks and picnics.

Again, while this is welcome, the amount of waste this produces has had an impact.

We have liaised with the council on several occasions to get the frequency of bin emptying on Little Moor increased and the Lending A Hand team, along with several community-spirited residents, have been out on the green spaces collecting litter left behind by less thoughtful visitors.

Trees

We have maintained our strong links with Mark Todd and the team at Urban Green Newcastle who are responsible for managing the trees in the area.

Mark liaises with us when any remedial work is necessary on local trees such as recent pruning work. The trees are a great asset and we have found the Urban Green team very sympathetic to requests to maintain and, where appropriate, replace trees in our area.

City Fibre

In Autumn 2020, the area was fitted out with high-speed fibre optic cable by a company called City Fibre.

Whilst the addition of high-speed fibre cable is a positive thing for the area, we were concerned about the condition some of the pavements and green spaces had been left in after the fitting had occurred.

This was particularly the case with the ill-judged positioning of the cable boxes on Little Dene which were limiting access to the footpath.

Fortunately, we found the installation team at City Fibre to be responsive to our requests for remedial work to be done and the cable boxes have now been relocated and additional work to areas of road and pavement has been implemented.

Anti social behaviour

Without doubt, the biggest issue of concern to residents over this past year has been the unwelcome and very significant increase in anti-social behaviour.

Particular “hotspots” have been around the metro station (Albury Road/Honister Avenue/Ilford Road) and on the Little Moor and its allotments.

Gangs of youths have been causing damage to property, lighting fires, threatening residents and in a couple of extreme cases there has been physical violence against residents and allotment holders.

The Residents Association has good links with our community police team but as things got significantly worse in Spring 2021 we escalated matters and sought the involvement of our councillors (Henry Gallagher, Wendy Taylor and Karen Robinson), our Member of Parliament (Catherine McKinnell), our local police sergeant (Euan Faulke), the Neighbourhood Team at Newcastle City Council and (via Catherine McKinnell) the Chief Superintendent at Northumbria Police Centre Area Command (Sav Patsalos).

At time of writing (and with fingers firmly crossed) it looks like this escalation and higher-level involvement has been beneficial as the past 2-3 weeks has seen a significant increase in police presence and a reduction in the incidence of anti-social behaviour.

The police have made several interventions including dispersal orders, alcohol confiscation, arrests and follow-ups at local schools. We are very encouraged by this but want to ensure that this sort of activity continues and so will remain in close contact with the relevant authorities.

Local traffic and Streets for People

One area that has not progressed at all during lockdown is the Streets for People project.

Residents may recall that a lot of time was spent liaising with local people and the council to come up with some solutions to the problems of high-speed traffic on Ilford Road and Moorfield as well as excessive parking by commuters using the area as a car park.

The issue of parking has been much reduced during lockdown (though it may well reoccur once everything opens back up).

However, the issue of speeding traffic has not got any better and the Association has received several communications from residents about the increase in high-speed cars, vans and lorries in our area.

It’s disappointing that the previously promised interventions have now been postponed and that the council’s focus has been on other areas such as Jesmond and Heaton.

Whilst we understand that there will always be competing priorities in this area, we will continue to put pressure on the council to recognise the issues we have locally as they are not insignificant.

One issue that has proven controversial is the closure of several bridges during lockdown. The closest bridges to our area are Stoneyhurst Road and Castles Farm Road.

The Association has not got directly involved in the debate on either of these bridge closures as they are outside our area, however we have circulated information on the consultation and encouraged residents who feel strongly on the issue to respond to the council.

Committee 2021-22

During the past year, two committee members resigned as they moved away from the area (Katherine Shipley and Ian Cavanagh).

The following members of the committee have all agreed to stand again for 2021-22 – Fiona Bruce, Jeffrey Fox, Andrew Jackson, Dawn Dunn, John Stephenson, Cornelia Moosman.

The following people have put their names forward to serve on the committee also – Michael Hutchinson, Maureen McKenna, Victoria Nemeth.

Conclusion

It has been a very difficult year for many people, and we remain uncertain as to how long lockdown restrictions (in whatever form) will continue.

However, despite this, the Residents Association continues to function, and it has been able to ensure that, where necessary, interventions are made to safeguard and promote the local area and its residents.

Our finances remain in a sound position and our links with local authorities and stakeholders remain strong and positive.

We take great pride in the area we represent and live in and will continue to do so over the next 12 months.

Nick Moore
Chair – High West Jesmond Residents’ Association
May 2021

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Anti social behaviour

As many of you will be aware, the problem of anti-social behaviour in the area has got significantly worse in recent months.

Problems have included street fights, damage to vehicles, theft of bins (which are then set alight on the Little Moor), littering, fires in and damage to the allotments, general rowdy behaviour, and most concerning of all, physical attacks on residents near the allotments and Jesmond Dene.

HWJRA has spoken on many occasions with our Councillors, Council Officers, Community Police and Urban Green Newcastle officers to express our concern about what has been happening and to seek additional focus on the problem.

What you can do to help

HWJRA will continue to do all it can but as the light nights and warmer weather arrive there is a risk that things may escalate further so it would be extremely helpful if residents of High West Jesmond could do the following:

  1. If you see something happening that genuinely merits reporting to the Police, then please do so. If it is a potentially violent or dangerous situation then call 999, if it is property damage or other less dangerous issues then use 101.
  2. If you feel something is worth reporting to the Residents Association, then please do so using the following email address asb@highwestjesmond.co.uk. Please bear in mind that the Residents Association is run by volunteers who aim to promote the area and work on behalf of residents with local authorities. Our powers are limited to liaising with local agencies and officials rather than intervening in any anti-social behaviour.
  3. Very importantly, we recommend storing rubbish bins in your back yard rather than in the back lane as a number of bins have been stolen from back lanes recently and set alight on the Little Moor – plus it makes the area much tidier.
  4. Become a member of the High West Jesmond Residents’ Association (HWJRA).  This will help us keep in touch with you and assist you to have your voice heard.  

Join High West Jesmond Residents’ Association (HWJRA)

HWJRA is one of the most successful residents’ associations in Newcastle. There are approximately 600 households in our area and, from that, we have good representation.

That said, we would still like more members. It costs nothing to join and is by far the easiest way for you to keep in touch with local news and events, especially in the current climate where we all need to stay in touch.

If you live in our area and would like to join the association then all you need to do is send an email with your name, postal address and email address to our membership secretary, Jeffrey Fox.

You can send a message to us through our Contact page on this website.

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