The people of Newcastle have been urged to have their say on the city’s future
The people of Newcastle have been urged to have their say on the city’s future – as work begins on a massive blueprint that will shape major developments for the next two decades.
Council chiefs are preparing to put together a new local plan – a key document that will form the basis of how Newcastle will grow and change between now and 2045.
As well as setting a target for how many new homes will need to be built and where they will be, the local plan will lay the groundwork for major ambitions including the push to reach net zero emissions, improvements to the city’s transport network and combating poverty.
Newcastle City Council’s cabinet agreed on Monday night to launch a six-week consultation exercise with the public, before planning chiefs begin drawing up their vision later this year.
City Labour leader Nick Kemp said the project was a “massive undertaking for the city and one that we must get right”, adding that it was “important that all views and voices are heard”.
Local plans, which the Government requires councils to produce, often prove controversial.
Activists previously clashed with the city council over the existing plans to build 21,000 new homes up to 2030, with anger over Callerton’s removal from the green belt to make way for major housebuilding.
There was also a long-running row over plans to dig a coal mine at Dewley Hill near Throckley, which were ultimately rejected, on a green belt site which had been identified as an ‘area of search’ for coal and secondary minerals.
Council bosses, who have also faced recent criticism over how they have gone about installing some Low Traffic Neighbourhoods in Newcastle, are now urging residents to make their views known at this early stage of the new local plan’s development to avoid any unwelcome surprises further down the line.
Coun Kemp said: “We have always been committed to empowering our communities and ensuring the people who call Newcastle home can shape the future of their city. Local plans underpin council planning decisions and provide the framework to how areas develop, grow, and continue to thrive.
“It isn’t right for us alone to make that decision for our communities, and that is why we are launching this early conversation on the future of Newcastle. A six-week engagement exercise will provide everyone with an opportunity to have their say and influence our decision making.
“What do you want Newcastle to look like by 2045? Be part of the conversation and make your voice heard.”
Details of when and where the public consultation will be conducted have not yet been announced, though it is expected to be launched shortly.
The new local plan is due to be submitted to the Government in 2026, after which it will be subject to independent examination by a planning inspector at a public hearing.