Plan for A1 set to unlock new jobs

May 22 2007 By Chloe Griffiths, The Journal

A vital strategy to boost development in the North-East without increasing congestion on the A1 is set to be approved today.

Cabinet members at Gateshead Council are being asked to approve a plan aimed at unlocking the potential around the Western bypass and the Team Valley, while ensuring traffic problems are not made worse on the overstretched road.

On some sections of the A1 more than 10,000 vehicles pass through each day, causing traffic problems and prompting the Highways Agency to block development using Article 14 notices.

The North East Chamber of Commerce (NECC) and The Journal have been campaigning for these restrictions to be removed and for vital upgrades to the inadequate road system to be pushed forward in the high-profile Go For Jobs campaign.

Now planning officers in Gateshead are advising councillors to approve the corridor transport strategy in a bid to remove any risk of the Highways Agency restricting any further development.

Council chiefs fear as much as £250m of investment, 2,000 homes and 2,400 jobs could be lost if potential sites are prevented from being regenerated.

The NECC estimates that the blocking orders could cost the entire region £1bn and 10,000 jobs.

The proposed strategy examines ways of dealing with the inadequate road system in the area - while still encouraging the development of a key employment area in the North-East. In the strategy document, development and enterprise director Derek Quinn writes: "The aim in producing the plan is eventually to remove the risk of further Highways Agency objections as sites in the A1 corridor come forward for development, and the consequent threat to regeneration in that part of the borough."

The strategy has three key aims:

To support regeneration;

Promote sustainable travel choices;

Encourage people to get out of their cars - not only around Team Valley and the MetroCentre, but also in Dunston, Swalwell, Birtley, Kibblesworth and parts of Blaydon and Whickham.

The plan will also provide a blueprint for assessing planning applications within the area - enabling businesses to be aware what demands they will have to meet in relation to the transport system.

However, it fails to set a deadline for increasing the capacity of the A1.

NECC head of policy Ross Smith said: "There are lots of positive things in this plan and it backs up what Go For Jobs has said all along about the impact the Highways Agency's block on development and the shortage of public transport alternatives are for workers."

He added: "If the Highways Agency takes a sensible view of its responsibility it could signal the end of Article 14 in the Team Valley.

"Ultimately the issue will always be traced back to the need to upgrade the road itself, which plans like this cannot address until roads minister Stephen Ladyman is prepared to supply the funding."

Councillors will also be asked to give the go-ahead to a plan aimed at tackling congestion in the key Team Valley estate.

The estate is one of the main employment sites in Gateshead, with more than 700 companies employing 17,000 people, and is a major focus for officials who want to ensure it can continue to thrive and grow.

Planning officers are suggesting an array of improvements to reduce congestion, improve accessibility and ensure safety.

These include introducing car parking charges at workplaces to encourage people to use public transport, improving conditions for pedestrians and cyclists, reviewing speed limits and employing a travel plan co-ordinator.