John Dales, the Independent Chair of Blue House Working Group, is inviting local residents and other stakeholders to a meeting to find out more about the Group’s recommendations about the Blue House junction and the principles that underpin them.
John will be introducing the proposals and answering questions, members of the Working Group will also be speaking about their experience of developing the proposal during their time on the group and answering questions.
You can find out more about the Working Group, read meeting notes and background papers and read the recommendations on the group’s web site.
HWJRA has represented residents
High West Jesmond Residents’ Association (HWJRA) has represented residents’ concerns and has been one of the local community groups that has contributed to the Blue House Working Group discussions on the Blue House Roundabout.
We encourage residents from High West Jesmond to attend this meeting to hear more about the recommendations made by Blue House Working Group to Newcastle City council.
Newcastle City Council are advising motorists of a delay to the re-opening of Killingworth Road (A189) in Gosforth due to over-running gas diversion works.
The following news release has been issued by Newcastle City Council:
Dealys to gas diversion works at Killingworth Road, Newcastle
Essential gas works are currently taking place by Northern Gas Networks to divert three gas mains away from the section of carriageway due for improvement as part of the council’s multi-million road improvement scheme.
Due to unforeseen complications during this phase, the council say this part of the project is facing a 12-week delay and the road will now re-open in June.
This is due to two separate discoveries of asbestos and also the condition of an existing high pressure water pipe which also needed to be moved before the gas diversion works could continue.
Andy Coyne, project manager for Northern Gas Networks (NGN) said: “Moving three major gas pipes, whilst keeping the gas supplies running to the 35,000 homes and businesses they feed – especially during this cold snap – was always a challenging and complex task and was scheduled to take 27 weeks.
“This was made all the more testing by the discovery of asbestos at two points in the works which had to be safely removed due to the health dangers it presents, as well as working with Northumbrian Water to divert a water main due to the condition and integrity of the main when fully exposed within our excavations.
“These unavoidable issues have had an impact on our project timeline, but we have been working closely with the council to see how we can recover lost time on the project and keep the delay to a minimum. We apologise for any inconvenience.”
Over £13.5m is being invested into this well-known pinch-point on the network, which has seen the installation of a new Metro bridge and will see a road-widening scheme to include an additional bus lane, and widened pavements along with more space for vehicles.
The gas industry has very tight restrictions on where pipes can be sited near pavements and roads. As the council are building a new wall and road where the gas pipes are currently located, they need to be diverted before construction on the new carriageway can begin.
Cllr Arlene Ainsley, Cabinet Member for Transport and Air Quality: “The Killingworth Road scheme was progressing well until asbestos was detected underground. Asbestos is a toxic substance which had to be carefully removed before the gas works could safely continue.
“Then there was the issue with a major water pipe which needed to be relocated due to health and safety reasons,which also had to be rectified. Unfortunately these issues have impacted on NGN’s schedule and we are looking at a 12-week delay to the re-opening of the road.
“Although the delay is regrettable, impacting on commuters and construction costs, they are not unusual when it comes to digging up roads. Under our roads there are a labyrinth of utility pipes and old infrastructure which can raise unexpected issues, which has happened in this case.
“We would like to reassure everyone that we are doing everything we can to open the road as soon as possible. We apologise for the extended inconvenience to commuters and everyone affected and we are committed to allowing traffic on Killingworth Road as soon as it is safe to do so, once the gas works are finished.”
The council say the road needs to remain closed until the gas works are fully complete. This is due to NGN creating a series of bypass pipes to re-route the gas whilst they excavate and install new pipes. As the new connector pipes are temporary, they will remain over ground, so the area needs to be secured away from the public. The road can only re-open once all the pipe works are complete and buried underground.
Once this phase of gas works is complete and traffic is using Killingworth Road, the council will then start the road widening scheme but this has been carefully phased to minimise impact on commuters. This highways widening scheme is scheduled to last until December 2018.
Once complete the scheme will reduce congestion, improve air quality, reduce journey times, improve public transport reliability and improve safety for people on foot and bikes to one of the busiest commuter routes into Newcastle.
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.
Newcastle City Council is seeking a Chair and Trustees for the new charity it is setting up to look after parks and open spaces in Newcastle.
The following news release has been issued by Newcastle City Council:
An innovative, independent charity being set up by Newcastle City Council to run the city’s parks and allotments is seeking a dynamic Chair and Trustees (directors) for the founding Board.
The proposal for a charitable solution passed successfully through the City Council’s Cabinet in November of 2017. The proposal for the Newcastle Parks Trust has been three years in the making after extensive research and public consultation to remedy a situation where 90% of the parks budget has been culled due to Government cuts over a seven-year period.
In a pioneering approach towards parks and green spaces, this is a UK first of this size and ambition, and presents a major opportunity to bring fresh ideas, impetus and aspiration to a city with some of Europe’s proudest and heritage soaked green spaces.
The work has seen Newcastle City Council work alongside its partners the National Trust and the Heritage Lottery Fund to develop a vision that will allow parks and greenspaces to flourish in future, and identify alternative solutions to manage and fund parks and allotments in the city for future generations.
The City Council, assisted by the National Trust, is now seeking to recruit 11 trustees, one of which will be the inaugural Chair – two further Trustees will be nominated by the City Council itself. The successful candidates will be from a range of backgrounds and have a diverse skillset. These posts are voluntary yet hugely influential – these pivotal figures will shape the future of Newcastle’s parks and allotments well into the future.
Newcastle City Council’s Cabinet Member for Culture and Communities, Cllr Kim McGuinness, said: “The new Parks Trust will be tasked with taking the passion Newcastle has for our parks, allotments and greenspaces and using it to safeguard these city assets.
“The Chair and Board of Trustees will be advocates for our parks. They will build valuable partnerships and play a vital role in bringing to life the Parks Trust’s vision. It’s a great opportunity to work closely with enthusiastic volunteer groups, businesses and funding bodies to help Newcastle’s parks and allotments prosper for years to come.
“Our parks are incredibly valued by our residents and are a big part of what makes Newcastle a great place to live, work and visit. It’s important they grow and thrive. This is an exciting time for us as we make history as the first city to implement a parks trust as a delivery model for parks. We’re looking for a Chair who shares our enthusiasm for the success of our wonderful parks and appreciates all of the reasons our residents love them so much.”
The Council will make a total £9.5 million revenue contribution to the Newcastle Parks Trust over the first 10 years of its operation, which demonstrates its commitment to the future of the city’s parks and allotments.
The charity will potentially be responsible for around 409 hectares of Newcastle parks (33 parks in total) and allotments – 15.5% of the city’s total open space. The Parks Trust’s remit would cover principal, countryside and neighbourhood parks, playgrounds in parks and allotments.
National Trust Director of the North, Harry Bowell, said: “This is a great opportunity to help shape the future of Newcastle’s parks and allotments. We’re proud to support Newcastle City Council in recruiting a group of driven and dynamic individuals to secure the future of Newcastle’s green spaces.”
How to apply
People interested in applying for either the Chair or Board of Trustees positions need to return a covering letter and CV explaining how they meet the requirements of the described roles, by email to futureparks@nationaltrust.org.uk by midnight on Monday 12 February 2018. This is the same email address to request an information pack.
For further information about the parks transformation and the partnership between the National Trust and Newcastle City Council please visit: www.futureparks.org
There will also be a series of meetings being delivered across the city to inform the public about future plans. These will take place at the following times and locations:
Jesmond Dene Visitor Centre – Saturday 10 February, 12pm to 1pm
Nunsmoor Centre – Monday 12 February, 7pm to 8pm
Civic Centre – Tuesday 13 February, 7pm to 8pm
Allotments session – Civic Centre – Saturday 24 February, 12pm to 1pm
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.
Proposals for Blue House roundabout have reached a new milestone as Newcastle City Council considers recommendations from local residents and interest groups on the future of the Gosforth junction.
Following public backlash to a consultation in July 2016 to expand the junction on to Town Moor land, the council invited campaigners to work with them to develop alternative proposals.
The recommendations are based on a year-long process, with workshops held with community members and overseen by an independent specialist transport planner.
The council will review them before a formal decision is made.
Cllr Arlene Ainsley, Cabinet Member for Transport and Air Quality said: “I would like to thank the Blue House Working Group for their valuable contributions in collaborating with us on a design for this dangerous junction.
“Blue House roundabout has an appalling safety record that we need to address for the thousands of people who use this junction every day, as well as making it safer and greener for the people who live nearby.
“This is a major junction on a key route into the city centre, which is nestled between the Town Moor and local homes so balancing everyone’s needs in fixing this junction is a complex task.
“I welcome the recommendations from the group and once we have reviewed them, we will make a formal announcement on the future of this notorious junction.”
Built in the 1950’s, the junction’s poor layout and design has resulted in it being a well-known collision hotspot. Over 30,000 vehicles use the junction daily, which suffers from high levels of congestion with queuing on all approaches during peak hours, causing toxic levels of air pollution.
The council has worked with the North East Local Enterprise Partnership to secure over £20m to improve a series of junctions and roads across the north of the city including Cowgate, Blue House, Haddricks Mill double roundabout in South Gosforth and widening the pinchpoint on Killingworth Road.
Independent Chair, John Dales, who facilitated the group’s work said: “I have enjoyed working with the Blue House Working Group. There were, of course, some differences of opinion between group members, and some important questions that are hard to answer, especially to everyone’s satisfaction. With so many issues at stake, and so little certainty about future traffic growth, there simply isn’t a single ‘right answer’. It will be the Council’s role to consider what action is now taken.
“The approach to change that I am recommending, based on the group’s work, is one that tackles the pressing safety issues, sits largely within the existing footprint of the current junction, and will improve conditions for travel by bus, on foot, and by bike.
“These improvements, which will enable local people to leave their cars at home for shorter journeys, will be vital in limiting traffic growth; thereby giving them a direct role in preserving the Town Moor they have fought so hard to save.
“If we manage to reduce the number of vehicles using the junction, especially for short trips, then this solution may last for many years to come. In essence, the group has agreed that it is wiser to try and reduce motor traffic growth than invest in a junction layout that would make growth more likely.”
Recommendations
The recommendations highlight both that current peak traffic flows through the junction are around 10% lower than ten years ago, and that there are important questions about the reliability of the official national predictions of future traffic growth on which the 2016 proposal was based.
The Blue House Working Group believes that, by making walking, cycling and bus travel more attractive, many residents will be influenced by the incentives to change their travel mode on shorter local journeys created by the new design.
Proposal sits within existing roundabout footprint
While the proposed junction layout sits within the existing roundabout footprint, it is designed in such a way that it could be enlarged, should the impact on air quality or motor traffic levels through the junction increase sufficiently to make that necessary.
The recommendations propose that, should the junction need to be enlarged, the historic avenues of trees would be protected, and any land take from Town Moor minimised, were the now-empty Blue House building to be demolished to make room for an enlarged junction.
Council to review recommendations
Newcastle City Council will review the recommendations to ensure it fits with the council’s priorities and meets Government funding requirements. A final decision will be made in early 2018, and if approved a public consultation will follow.
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.
HWJRA Chair comments
Recommendation Drawing A – Modified Blue House Roundabout and walk / cycle facilities
Nick Moore from High West Jesmond Residents’ Association said; “My experience of participating in the Blue House Working Group has been a very positive one.
“The final proposal reflects what the group believes is the “best fit” taking into account the key considerations of safety, capacity, efficiency and visual amenity. It was clearly impossible to provide everything that everybody wanted but by the end of the process the group were all happy with the final recommendation.
“I am very happy that the council took the approach that they did and hope that this can become a model for engagement with local residents and other stakeholders for any future projects of major significance.”
Recommendations from the Blue House Working Group have been issued for consideration by Newcastle City Council.
The following news release has been issued by the Blue House Working Group:
The Blue House roundabout, High West Jesmond, Newcastle
The thoughtful and constructive contributions of the Blue House Roundabout Working Group members, has helped the independent chair of the group, John Dales, to come to a recommendation for Newcastle City Council.
That recommendation and the rationale that underpins it is set out below.
Drawings A and B, below, set out the scope of change recommended at the Blue House junction in the immediate future (A), and how this could be further built upon in the future to increase traffic capacity (B).
These layouts have arisen from an iterative design process involving scrutiny by the Working Group and traffic modelling to understand capacity issues.
Further modelling work is now needed to develop a detailed design and ensure that change at Blue House does as much as possible to improve road safety and enable walking, cycling and bus travel, while providing sufficient capacity for general traffic.
Recommendation Drawing A – Modified Blue House Roundabout and walk / cycle facilities
In addition, Drawing C sets out the recommended changes for Jesmond Dene Road as far as the junction with Matthew Bank. The layout allows vehicles to make all turns at the Osborne Road junction, and includes a new signalised pedestrian crossing facility across the Osborne Road arm.
To provide a better level of service for people walking, the signalised junction with Moorfield should be modified and a new, signalised walking/cycling crossing should be installed just west of the Friday Fields path. Protected tracks and other measures to enable cycling are also recommended.
The above news release was issued by the Blue House Working Group and included on the Blue House Working Group website. It has been included here for information and does not necessarily represent the views of High West Jesmond Residents’ Association.
HWJRA Chair comments
Nick Moore from High West Jesmond Residents’ Association said; “My experience of participating in the Blue House Working Group has been a very positive one.
“The final proposal reflects what the group believes is the “best fit’ taking into account the key considerations of safety, capacity, efficiency and visual amenity. It was clearly impossible to provide everything that everybody wanted but by the end of the process the group were all happy with the final recommendation.
“I am very happy that the council took the approach that they did and hope that this can become a model for engagement with local residents and other stakeholders for any future projects of major significance.”
Public meeting planned
A public meeting will be organised to discuss the recommendations at some time in February – further details to follow.
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.
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.
Proposal C – Moorfield and Ilford Road junction
This part of the neighbourhood plan proposes changes to Moorfield between Ilford Road and Great North Road (i.e. Gosforth High Street).
High West Jesmond Residents’ Association (HWJRA) has represented residents’ concerns and has been one of the local community groups that has contributed to the Blue House Working Group discussions on the Blue House Roundabout.
Cllr Arlene Ainsley, Cabinet Member for Transport and Air Quality: “The Killingworth Road scheme was progressing well until asbestos was detected underground. Asbestos is a toxic substance which had to be carefully removed before the gas works could safely continue.
An innovative, independent charity being set up by Newcastle City Council to run the city’s parks and allotments is seeking a dynamic Chair and Trustees (directors) for the founding Board.
Newcastle City Council’s Cabinet Member for Culture and Communities, Cllr Kim McGuinness, said: “The new Parks Trust will be tasked with taking the passion Newcastle has for our parks, allotments and greenspaces and using it to safeguard these city assets.
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 outline plans can be viewed following the 