City guides
New North Shields Transport Hub Gets £19m To Fund Regeneration
The creation of a new transport hub in North Shields has been given a £19m cash injection following local council leaders signing off on a major funding boost yesterday afternoon.
The huge hub is designed to bring all bus services in the town together in one location and closer to Metro, taxis and cycling infrastructure, as well as improving links between the town centre and the Fish Quay.
It was awarded more than £19m by the North East Joint Transport Committee (JTC) on Tuesday, as part of a range of schemes being paid for via the region’s allocation from the government’s Transforming Cities Fund.
Coun Carl Johnson, the deputy mayor of North Tyneside, said that the decision was “really good news for North Shields” and a “landmark moment” for the council’s regeneration ambitions, after Co-op’s decision to close its store on the site and leave the area.
Gateshead Council leader Martin Gannon called it a “first class scheme” that “hits all the points on the vision that we have in terms of improving public transport”.
It is hoped that the hub, which will replace the former Co-op building on Bedford Street, will become the first net zero carbon building in North Tyneside.
As well as the interchange, the JTC also approved funding for two other schemes. Almost £2m was awarded to create permanent pedestrian and cycle routes around the Gateshead Quayside. As well as more than £3m going towards the creation of a new southbound bus lane connecting the A188 Goathland Avenue junction in Longbenton and the entrance to Four Lane Ends Interchange, as well as improvements to walking and cycling routes and new cycle storage facilities at Four Lane Ends Metro station.
The North East’s £198m Transforming Cities settlement is also funding the bulk of the £100m Metro Flow project, upgrading Metro lines in South Tyneside to allow for increased train frequencies and faster journeys.
Newcastle City Council has confirmed payments using cash will be gradually phased out from all council-owned car parks and on-street parking locations as ticket machines are upgraded to accept cards and the PayByPhone service is expanded to cover all locations.
The council carried out consultation on proposals for cashless parking earlier this year, including seeking feedback from Newcastle Disability Forum and the Elders’ Council, to understand and respond to any concerns.
The changes are part of proposals to make the council’s parking service more efficient and cost-effective while better meeting the needs of customers.
Cllr Jane Byrne, cabinet member for a connected, clean city at Newcastle City Council, said: “The majority of our car park users already prefer cashless payments so we are keen to make this available at all of our parking locations.
Data shows that the majority of people already prefer to use cashless payments, with PayByPhone transactions increasing from 1.5m in 2018/19 to 2.9m in 2022/23 and card machine transactions increasing from 200,000 to 332,000 during the same period.
As part of the changes, the PayByPhone service will be expanded to cover all locations. This service enables people to add extra time to their parking if needed without having to go back to the ticket machine.
The option to pay by card will also be made available at all car parks and on-street bays, giving people a choice of payment methods at all locations.
At on-street parking areas, people will be able to use a card to pre-pay for parking when they arrive.
This pre-payment option will also be provided in every council-run car park – including those with no maximum stay restrictions, which is a slight change to the original proposals following the consultation.
A further card payment option – known as check in check out, which allows people to pay for the exact amount of time used when they leave – will also be available at car parks where there are no maximum stay restrictions.
People who don’t have bank cards, can use pre-paid cards which are widely available and can be topped up via a range of outlets.
Blue badge holders will still park for free in the on-street car parking bays.
Work will get underway in the coming months to begin upgrading ticket machines and rolling out the PayByPhone service to cover all locations.
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The Coronation of King Charles III on May 6 – and the Coronation Concert on May 7 – will be shown for free on big screens in Newcastle, Northumberland, Durham, and Sunderland.
Preparations are under way to erect big outdoor screens so that people can come together to watch the ceremony, as the country gets ready to celebrate the coronation of King Charles III.
The big day is Saturday, May 6 when His Majesty the King will be crowned in Westminster Abbey, alongside Camilla as Her Majesty The Queen Consort in a service set to attract a worldwide TV audience. And the grand event will be screened live at various locations across the region for those keen to get out of the house and mingle with others to feel part of the historic occasion.
The Government has made money available to install big screens in public places so that as many people as possible can come together at official sites to watch the coronation events live and for free. Below is our guide to where people in the North East can go to join in.
Newcastle, Northumberland, Sunderland, and Durham all have locations in which you can watch the special occasion.
Alnwick Castle – Northumberland
In collaboration with Northumberland County Council, the castle will be screening Saturday’s coronation as well as Sunday’s concert for free although spaces must be booked.
The event, with gates opening at 10am, is free but those tickets, which will be limited, must be pre-booked. Guests can take along a blanket or chair for the lawn and there will be a variety of food trucks on-site selling treats and drinks.
Northumberland County Council says up to 1,500 people are expected to attend on both days and, on the coronation day, it has invited 500 ‘community heroes’ – volunteers who have made a difference locally – to be among them.
Times Square – Newcastle
A screen in the city centre square will be broadcasting the day’s action for free on Saturday from 9.30am until 4pm, with the service itself due to start at 11am following the arrival of the royal procession from Buckingham Palace.
City and Fenham Libraries – Newcastle
Newcastle City Library has a royal link too, having been opened by the late Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh in 2009. Newcastle City Council says street parties and community events will be taking place across the city to mark the historic occasion and residents will receive ‘sweet treats’ as part of its Meals at Home service.
Sunderland
Keel Square in the city centre will be showing the event.
Hylton Castle in Castletown.
Rectory Park in Houghton.
Barnes Park.
Town Moor, East End.
The Galleries Shopping Centre, Washington.
Durham University – Durham
People are invited to come together to watch the coronation on a big screen being set up by the university in its marquee right next to Durham City Rugby Football Club. Arrival will be from 10am, with plans to have everyone seated in the marquee by 11am for the start of the service.
The event, running until 4pm, will also include family entertainment and, while no alcohol will be allowed, people can take along picnics and soft drinks. The screening will be free, but tickets are required. Note this event is now booked up.
Market Square – Darlington
In another of the free, public events, the town centre has been picked as one of the official screening sites and it will be live broadcasting the coronation ceremony.
The coronation also will be broadcast live from Westminster Abbey – where the late Queen was herself crowned 70 years ago – on BBC1 and iPlayer.
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Until the Industrial Revolution led to the exploitation of its enormous coalfield in the 19th century, the mediaeval county of Durham was relatively unimportant economically. As a result, it became one of the primary hubs of industrial expansion in Britain. The county was the location of the first passenger railway in history, which ran between Stockton and Darlington and was put into service in 1825. Darlington developed become a hub for locomotive manufacturing and railroad engineering. Gateshead, Hartlepool, Jarrow, South Shields, and Sunderland are some of the other Durham cities that have grown to be hubs for heavy industry, particularly shipbuilding and the manufacturing of iron and steel.
Join us on our walking tour of Durham as we explore its medieval architecture including its gothic church aesthetics; expanding on the history of several buildings and areas of Durham that you may not know about!
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