North side community groups, voluntary organisations and local services Workshop

Date:        Saturday 14^th July 2001

Location: Wallsend Library

1.1 Attendees

2. introduction

In August 2001 a major public consultation event took place regarding the proposals for a New Tyne Crossing. This event took the form of a major two-venue exhibition, a series of smaller exhibitions, plus workshops.  The objective of the consultation was to present the chosen immersed tube scheme in an accessible way to the local and wider communities and as many interested parties as possible. 

As well as ensuring that all parties understood the proposals, the consultation exercise provided the public with an opportunity to comment on the proposals and express concerns.  These concerns will be taken into account  (wherever possible and practicable) when finalising the design of the scheme and mitigation measures.  Thus, one of the main purposes of this feedback exercise is to inform the project team and TWPTA about the concerns raised.

This note provides feedback details from the North Community workshop.  Five workshop groups were arranged, as follows (with dates) separate notes on these groups are available:

It should be emphasised that the views expressed at the Workshop are not necessarily representative of either those who will be affected by a new tunnel, or those who are proposing it.  Moreover, there may be factual inaccuracies in what people have said (this is part of the nature of Workshops), which may be evident in the following factual accounts (we have neither corrected nor drawn attention to these factual inaccuracies).

3.       Group Discussion

3.1     Community groups (north side) discussion

          3.1.1          Public transport

• There is no bus lane in the proposed tunnel; the government is trying to encourage people to use public transport, but the bus (319 and 310 service) gets stuck in the tunnel at peak travelling times e.g. the 5.30pm bus does not get to Howdon until 6.15pm!
• There should be one tunnel for cars and one tunnel for public transport and cyclists
• How many households in the North East do not have access to a car? The answer is 48% of households
• As soon as we create more provision for cars then more cars will use the new tunnel
• It will create a more hostile environment for those without access to a car who cannot get to all the big out of town stores along the A19 corridor and rely on the small shops on the High Street, but the danger is these start to close down because they can’t compete with the large superstores
• The tunnel will create more desire/need to use the car; look what happened to the M25, it was congested in 5 years.  The same will happen in the new Tyne Tunnel, along with more commercial development along the A19 corridor – is this what we want?
• There should be bus lanes both ways in the tunnel and then bus lanes along the A19
• The new Tyne Tunnel will encourage cars, making it difficult to access facilities without a car and thus linking to the impact lack of transport has on social exclusion and access to employment
• There is a need to prioritise buses, for instance at the toll booths, so they have quick access to the tunnel.  It should be possible to let busses go toll-free or at much lower toll rates, which would then be reflected in cheaper bus fares
• Part of the scheme is to encourage development, which in turn will create jobs, but how do you access these jobs if you don’t own a car?
• If you don’t own a car, you couldn’t get a job on Silverlink because it is not served by any public transport connections
• If there are more people in employment then there will be more congestion
• Broader thinking is needed on the wider impact of development sites and their future location
• The pedestrian tunnel is perceived as unsafe now that the lift attendant has gone, especially if you are a woman; The Riverside Park on the south side is also seen as unsafe because of drug users.  There is nothing within walking distance at either end of the tunnel, though there are opportunities to travel further if you cycle through the tunnel.  Some people use the tunnel to get to the shopping centre in Jarrow
• Where buses are concerned, you want a fast and efficient service but also a safe environment to walk through to reach the bus stop
• Bus stops can be improved by displaying time tables and maybe having a central helpline to give information on buses, trains and taxis

  3.1.2     Environment

• There is more pollution the longer the car is running, so if you are caught in jams more pollution is created
• The existing tunnel was built in 1967 with a capacity of 24,000 vehicles a day and this was exceeded in the late 1980s.  The new tunnel will have a capacity of 80,000 vehicles a day
• The rat runs through East Howdon will cease as the toll booths for the new tunnel will be located to the north of the community
• There is a clear need to minimise the environmental impacts of a new tunnel, such as noise and air pollution
• People would like to see local children being involved in the design of the landscape after the tunnel is completed, particularly in Jarrow
• There should be a number of planning gains such as recreation land/parks/play areas; local people should see the benefits of the development
• Maybe there should be a clause on the Concessionaire’s agreement that they have to look after the land for the next thirty years
• The recreation land will need a sense of ownership; is there potential for developing the proposed contractors site on the north side for recreation after construction?
• The landfill sites north of the river near East Howdon will be converted into playing fields
• There are a number of problems in both Howdon and Jarrow  - in terms of multiple deprivation, negative equity, isolation, poor public transport, pollution and now the new tunnel will be built on their doorstep and is seen as an added factor in the decline of these communities
• There needs to be a strategic overview by a range of agencies for the future of East Howdon, otherwise the spiral of decline will continue
• Once the tunnel is completed and the area is landscaped people may want to buy houses in the area thus leading to increased houses prices
• The residents of East Howdon feel isolated, powerless and forgotten
• The new tunnel will funnel fast moving traffic through East Howdon; there will be no opportunity for this traffic to stop in the community
• Many people have a choice over transport, some families have access to two cars, buses, trains and cycles; some, however, only have access to one type of transport
• When the Siemans factory was built the local people thought they would get jobs in the factory.  The local community did not benefit and outsiders who commuted in every day took the jobs

  3.1.3          During construction

• Construction of the tunnel on the north side of the river will take around 18 months to complete
• The East Howdon by pass will be used by construction traffic but not for access when the new road network is completed
• The community will not be aware of the impact until it happens, even  through they are currently aware of the impact of heavy industrial traffic around them
• Local shops will benefit during the construction, as the site contractors will use the local shops and services
• The construction of the new tunnel may well benefit the community in terms of training and employment opportunities
• There are various ways in which the impact of construction can be minimised, such as with noise shields; additionally, contractors will have to apply to the council if they want to work out of normal hours
• If local people feel that the council is not enforcing the development controls then they can sue the construction company.   The community may get legal help though it should not reach that stage
• Residents could create a construction liaison group/action group in East Howdon, where local people can report any problems to the action group and this will then get passed on to the council
• This gives the local community power/control and influence.  At the same time, contractors can use this group as a forum to disseminate information to the community through regular meetings
• The contractors and the Concessionnaire should be encouraged to  send out newsletters to inform residents of the construction programme and updates
• Local people will need to know what is happening as soon as possible, this will be achieved by pre-order application notification (to everyone who will be directly affected)
• Then a formal statutory notice will tell people what to do if they want to make representation.  There will be a period of 42 days for people to make formal representations by letters of support or opposition.  The application is likely to happen in November 2001 

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