£1Million Ouseburn regeneration vision
A new vision to clean up the Ouseburn river and transform it into a spectacular nature trail has been unveiled.
A £1m fund has been launched to kickstart hopes of regenerating the area surrounding the length of the river with wildlife, new cycle paths and walkways for environmentally-friendly commuting, derelict buildings restored to their former glory, and much cleaner water.
The ‘Ouse Burn Way’ initiative has been put forward by the Reece Foundation, which also funded a recent study that revealed the amount of raw sewage in the river posed a “significant risk” to the health of anyone swimming in it.
The charitable foundation’s chair, Anne Reece, outlined a vast range of green upgrades she wants to see – including vastly improve water quality, reintroducing different species of wildlife to the area, and creating a safe and attractive new transport link stretching all the way from Weetslade Country Park and the Letch in Longbenton to where the river meets the Tyne.
It could see the creation of a seven-mile trail that it is hoped will “connect communities with nature” and make the Ouseburn a “national exemplar of how the pollution of similar degraded urban rivers across the country can be mitigated”.
While the initial £1m boost could be used to fund some smaller-scale improvements in different parts of the valley, including in Jesmond Dene, it is hoped that it can also help lever in much bigger investment needed to turn the full vision into a reality.
Ms Reece said: “We are in the middle of a nature crisis and significant climate change. The Ouse Burn Way project has the potential to be a major recreational resource by improving the current degradation within the environment whilst also enhancing biodiversity right into the inner city and providing an area of carbon capture and natural cooling for the city. It also ensures a green, attractive and accessible corridor is established.”
A Newcastle University study paid for by the Reece Foundation and published earlier this year revealed worrying levels of sewage in the Ouseburn, with water samples taken in 2021 showing high levels of faecal bacteria and prompting calls for real-time pollution alerts to be issued.
Ms Reece told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that she hoped that the green overhaul of the river could be just as successful as the spectacular transformation of the Lower Ouseburn Valley from a centre of Tyneside industry into one of the coolest neighbourhoods in the world.
She added: “The Lower Ouseburn Valley has been transformed in the last 10 or 15 years. Now it is a vibrant area with the students, and restaurants and bars – people want to be there and it is always busy. We don’t want all that bar and restaurant stuff all the way up the river, but that transformation came about because of a concerted effort and from people believing in the same vision.
“If we have that then we can unlock a lot of funding and a lot of energy, so that is what we want to do – for wildlife, for safe transport, for getting people back to nature.”
The Reece Foundation is working with Northumbrian Water, Newcastle City Council, North Tyneside Council and the Environment Agency to try and drive forward its ambition for the Ouseburn.
An exhibition showcasing the project is now open for viewing at Newcastle University’s Farrell Centre until February 9 next year.