The Blue House Working Group recently made recommendations to Newcastle City Council about the Blue House Roundabout and a public meeting was arranged on 12 March 2018 so that local residents could hear more from the working group.
Download the BHWG presentation
The full 52 page pdf slide deck used for the 12 March 2018 presentation has now become available and has been placed on the Blue House Working Group website here – Blue House Working Group 12 March 2018 presentation
The Blue House Working Group recently made recommendations to Newcastle City Council about the Blue House Roundabout and a public meeting was arranged on 12 March 2018 so that local residents could hear more from the working group.
John Dales, Independent Chair of Blue House Working Group, invited 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.
There was a packed room in the senior school hall at Newcastle School for Boys on The Grove, Gosforth for the meeting which started at 6.30pm.
John Dales introduced the proposals and other members of the Working Group explained how they had been involved with the process of developing the recommendations.
The meeting also provided an opportunity for some questions from the audience, which were responded to by members of the Blue House Working Group and a representative from Newcastle City Council, Graham Grant who is Head of Transport Investment with the Council.
Representatives at the meeting
A number of community groups were represented at the meeting who spoke including:
Nick Moore, Chair, High West Jesmond Residents Association
Veronica Stoner, Chair, West Gosforth Residents Association
Tony Waterson, Chair, Jesmond Residents Association
Peter MacDonald, Space for Gosforth
Sally Watson, Newcastle Cycling Campaign
Andrew Lambert, Gosforth Traffic
Speakers also included two of our local councillors:
Stella Postlethwaite, Cllr North Jesmond (Lab)
Nick Cott, Cllr West Gosforth (Lib Dem)
Recommendations made to the Council
John Dales explained that the working group had made recommendations to the Council.
It was noted that traffic flows at the Blue House Roundabout in 2016 were 10% lower than they had been in 2008 and that this equated to approximately 400 less peak hour vehicles.
Drawing A sets out the scope of change recommended at the Blue House junction in the immediate future. This involves limited work.
Drawing B sets out how this could be further built upon in the future to increase traffic capacity if this was required. This is more major work, a bigger roundabout and demolition of the Blue House itself.
Council not able to respond to recommendations before purdah starts
The audience was interested in knowing what the next steps would be and when Newcastle City Council would respond to the recommendations it had received from the Blue House Working Group. And when Newcastle CityCouncil would publish its revised plans for the roundabout.
Graham Grant, Head of Transport Investment at Newcastle City Council said that Newcastle City Council would not be able to respond within the next two weeks and then, after 27 March 2018, the ‘purdah’ rules on the run up to the local government elections on 3 May 2018 would prevent the council from making an announcement until after the elections.
This means that local residents will not know the council plans as they go to the polls to elect their local councillors.
Following changes to the ward boundaries in Newcastle upon Tyne the local government election on 3 May will be an ‘all-out’ election with every seat being contested at the same time, rather than the normal third of the seats being up for election. All 78 seats will be up for re-election with electors voting for up to 3 candidates.
Council to undertake work
Graham Grant explained that the council was undertaking work following receipt of the recommendations from the Blue House Working Group.
He also noted that the council was keen to keep the Blue House Working Group involved as the council develops its plans.
Graham announced that the council’s work would include:
Reviewing detailed plans;
undertaking a ‘micro simulation’ model;
undertaking modelling using air quality software;
sharing the results of work with the Blue House Working Group;
discussing matters with the Stewards’ Committee of the Freeman of the City of Newcastle;
discussing with the North East Local Enterprise Partnership (North East LEP) how criteria for funding can be used; and
considering the impact of changes in the public’s travel behaviour.
Graham Grant also committed that representatives from the Blue House Working Group would be invited to meetings with both the North East LEP and the Steward’s Committee.
Questions from audience
Following questions from the audience about openness and transparency, Graham Grant also noted that he was more than happy to give access to the council’s modelling information so that those who were interested would have the opportunity to study the details.
A member of the Blue House Working Group noted that they had challenged some of the outputs from earlier data models as not making sense and when the Council reviewed these again different results were obtained. John Dales acknowledged that traffic models were always challenging.
Another audience member asked why comments/questions previously left on the Blue House Working Group website had not been responded as not responding did not fulfil the definition of engagement.
Whilst the Blue House Working Group website had been set up by Newcastle City Council and Open Labs at Newcastle University, a volunteer member of the Blue House Working Group offered an apology that the resources had not been deployed to respond to comments that had been left.
Going forwards, anyone who wishes to receive future updates from the council was asked to leave their email address with Ali Lamb. The council plans to send an update email within the next 2 weeks.
As well as local residents and stakeholders the meeting was also attended by reporters from the Newcastle Chronicle and Jesmond Local. The meeting closed at 8.30pm.
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.
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
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 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.
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.
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.
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.