Newcastle City Council’s cabinet has agreed to move forward and develop a “critical” plan for the city’s future alongside Gateshead Council.
The area’s new local plan will guide decisions on future planning applications across both council’s territory. Residents in Newcastle have been consulted on their key priorities in recent months, with access to open spaces, easy travel and climate change emerging as key concerns.
At Tuesday’s meeting of the council’s cabinet – the first helmed by new leader Karen Kilgour – members were asked to approve plans for a joint plan with Gateshead. This was in order to promote closer working across council boundaries on key projects.
Speaking at the meeting, Cllr Kilgour said: “I’m delighted to introduce this report. This plan is critical to the growth of the city.
“We are committed to empowering our communities. We carried out a consultation earlier this year – it was a conversation about people’s priorities, opportunities and challenges.
“The consultation will be used to set our local plan and the future of our neighbourhoods. We are seeking to address the main issues and take the opportunities our city faces.”
The report presented to members acknowledged that, since the consultation was carried out, the Government has unveiled planned changes to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF). Under the current draft plans, Newcastle would see its housing target revised down from 1,417 homes to 1,345 – a decrease of 5%.
In comparison, Gateshead would see its target increase 118% from 417 to 909, while Northumberland will be expected to build 1,769 homes compared to its current target of 549 – an uplift of 222%. It is expected that the final proposals will be published in the coming months, possibly before Christmas.
Asked to explain the reasoning behind working with Gateshead Council, assistant director of planning Louise Sloan said: “We have looked at this very closely.
“We have a working relationship with Gateshead. This is an opportunity to share knowledge and expertise. We think it is absolutely the right direction to go in.”
