Newcastle and Gateshead councils to work together on 'critical' planning policy
The policies will shape future planning decisions on both sides of the Tyne
by James Robinson · ChronicleLiveNewcastle City Council's cabinet has agreed to 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 councils 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 proposals setting out a joint approach with Gateshead to promote closer working across council boundaries on key projects.
Speaking at the meeting, Coun 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.
Northumberland will be expected to build 1,769 homes compared to its current target of 549 - an uplift of 222%.
Final proposals are expected to 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."
Join our WhatsApp communities
ChronicleLive is now on WhatsApp and we want you to join our communities.
We have a number of communities to join, so you can choose which one you want to be part of and we'll send you the latest news direct to your phone. You could even join them all!
To join you need to have WhatsApp on your device. All you need to do is choose which community you want to join, click on the link and press 'join community'.
No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the ChronicleLive team.
We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners.
If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'.
If you’re curious, you can read our privacy notice.
Join the ChronicleLive Breaking News and Top Stories community
Join our Court & Crime community
Join the Things to do in Newcastle and the North East community
Join our Northumberland community
Join our County Durham community
Join our Great North Run community