Plans to ban all traffic from one of Newcastle city centre’s busiest streets have been shelved.
It has been confirmed that a huge transformation of Blackett Street, which would have seen the bus route pedestrianised, has been put on ice. The proposals have been in the works for years and were a key aim of Newcastle City Council under its previous Nick Forbes-led administration, but have now been kicked into the long grass after a power shift within the city’s Labour Party earlier this year that saw Nick Kemp take over at the civic centre.
A document set to be presented to the local authority’s cabinet next week reveals that the Blackett Street plans will be “deferred until such time as it can be fully funded and brought forward as part of a comprehensive package of measures to promote a connected, clean city”. It adds that “the political ambition to implement a central pedestrianised zone with pocket parks and green spaces that makes the city more family and child friendly is still held”, but will be rolled into a “revised, ambitious offer” that also includes a raft of upgrades to Newcastle’s bus and cycling infrastructure.
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The cabinet report states that work could now start on a pedestrianisation scheme “as soon as possible after the re-development of the northern block on Pilgrim Street”, where a huge new HMRC office complex is being built. While that development is not expected to be completed until 2027, a council spokeswoman indicated that the project could be kickstarted once again before that time if the HMRC works no longer impacted on the surrounding roads.
Blackett Street has been temporarily made into a vehicle-free zone during popular summer events and for the city’s 2019 Christmas markets. While supporters said that a permanent pedestrianisation would better promote walking and cycling, there have been fears about potential congestion caused by pushing buses onto a new loop around the city centre and making access harder for elderly and disabled people.
Bus company Stagecoach, the main objector to the closure and whose opposition meant a public inquiry would be required to proceed, had claimed to have lost 120,000 passengers when Blackett Street was shut in winter 2019. 700 people responded to an online council survey about the plans – with 287 objecting, 276 in support, and 137 undecided.
The council said it would now “work with bus operators and other stakeholders” on revised plans, potentially including a new bus station in the city, but would “still be prepared to go to public inquiry in the future”. The cabinet report admits that the change in plans means some funding already secured by the council for the Blackett Street, including from the Levelling Up Fund, will be “placed at risk” of being clawed back and will now have to be redirected to other projects.
Coun Jane Byrne, the council’s cabinet member responsible for transport, said: “We made a commitment to review proposals for the city centre to ensure that the plans remain aligned with our environmental, climate and economic priorities. That review is now largely complete and, after also taking into account the previous extensive feedback in relation to transport changes, we have deferred a decision on closing Blackett Street to buses.
“This means that we will no longer be proceeding with a public inquiry at this time. We think it would be better to bring forward a comprehensive proposal for the city centre and look forward to working collaboratively with residents, businesses and transport providers to achieve this.
“We remain committed to creating a more family-friendly city centre that is easy and safe to get around, is less polluted and has much more green space and biodiversity. We will be sharing our updated proposals in due course and everyone will have the opportunity to let us know their thoughts. Right now, our priority is to help local people through the cost of living crisis.”
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