Agency puts its oar in

Jan 25 2007 By Ross Smith, The Journal

Road bosses were last night accused of being "embarrassing", "nitpicking" and putting "bureaucratic obstacles" in the way of a crucial redevelopment plan to revitalise a former shipbuilding community.

Plans to create 1,780 homes, a shopping area and two primary schools, and revive industrial areas in Walker, Newcastle have been branded "unsound" by the Highways Agency.

Managers will appear at a public inquiry next week to raise concerns about the £430m development because of its impact on the A1 and A19.

The agency - which has faced stern criticism through the Go For Jobs campaign for delaying business developments in the North-East due to congestion - is now demanding developers who want to build family homes in Walker should be made to pay for improvements on trunk roads.

Last night, the North East Chamber of Commerce - which has led Go For Jobs along with The Journal - said the move was "geographically embarrassing" due to the distance from Walker to the A1.

And Newcastle East and Wallsend MP Nick Brown attacked the Highways Agency for "nit-picking interventions".

Newcastle Council's area action plan (AAP) for Walker Riverside will be examined at a public inquiry starting on Tuesday.

The Highways Agency says the A1 to the west of Newcastle "is operating over-capacity and as such any additional traffic in this location is likely to be of concern to the agency".

It quotes research that shows that after the redevelopment, 18% of people living in Walker in Newcastle's East End, and 39% of people working there, would use the A1 or A19 each day.

Highways Agency planning manager Ian Radley wrote: "Proposed increases in the number of dwellings within an area and new employment development within the industrial area could have a significant negative impact upon the operation of the SHN (strategic highway network)."

North East Chamber of Commerce spokesman Mike Parker said: "Ministerial action is needed to investigate why the Highways Agency wishes to stand in the way of every single major development designed to create jobs, new homes and economic growth in the North-East. Vibrant plans have been drawn up to revitalise Walker Riverside. We cannot fathom why the Highways Agency should object to this progress.

"This latest objection is geographically embarrassing. Walker is miles away from the strategic road network and residents would have to trek across half of Newcastle just to reach the A1.

"Not content with pernicious attempts to rob the North-East of jobs, it now wants to steal the opportunity for new housing in an area of the city that would benefit from the action plan."

Newcastle councillor Greg Stone said: "It's a regeneration scheme that has won widespread praise, including from Government. Jobs, homes and regeneration could now be slowed down by the Highways Agency."

Mr Brown said: "There's no elected representative in the mood for bureaucratic obstacles being put in the way of what's clearly necessary for the area. I take a pretty dim view of nit-picking interventions of that kind."

A Highways Agency spokesman said: "It gives us the opportunity to air the concerns we feel need to be flagged up to the inspector. Further negotiations will be needed when specific planning applications are moved as part of the plan, but we don't believe current concerns to be a problem at this stage of the development of the plan."

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What is proposed

The £430m plans for Walker involve building 1,780 homes, a shopping area and two primary schools.

Council bosses will attempt to "micro-manage" the sale of 80% of the properties to ensure they are bought by owner-occupiers rather than investors or private landlords.

They are aiming to attract people who have moved out of the area to come back, along with new families. The other 20% of the housing will be for social rent.

The 15-year plan includes shifting the main shopping area from Church Walk to Walker Road. A small supermarket - similar to the Tesco in Jesmond's Acorn Road - is planned to "anchor" the area, accompanied by smaller local shops.

Open spaces will be created close to the riverside, while new businesses will be encouraged into the industrial estate.

However, the plans are not universally popular, as they also include demolishing 424 homes, including two tower blocks.

Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government Ruth Kelly must give final approval to the plan.