Regeneration plans for Ponteland town centre

Nov 3 2008 by Dave Black, The Journal

AMBITIOUS plans to regenerate an ageing Northumberland town centre are set to take a major step forward in the next few months.

The s17m masterplan to revitalise Pontelands retail heart including demolishing and rebuilding the existing Merton Way shopping centre was first unveiled more than two years ago following a study by consultants.

Now two potential developers have been shortlisted and will present detailed proposals for public consultation in mid-January.

They were selected from 11 firms which expressed interest in working to a design brief for the regeneration scheme drawn up by the Ponteland Community Partnership.

The blueprint involves demolishing the existing shopping centre and replacing it with a modern, 19-shop mall, a restaurant and 200-space car park.

It also includes building a two-storey community hub housing a library, community centre, CIU social club and offices, together with 51 new homes nearby.

Castle Morpeth Council chiefs say the radical vision produced by consultants Nathaniel Lichfield after a year-long study is the only realistic option to improve Ponteland and provide a future for its shopping centre. However, it has been opposed by Merton Way traders and some local residents as too revolutionary and at risk of ruining the towns historic character. Plans to incorporate a new supermarket in the scheme have been dropped because of public opposition.

Hundreds of local people have taken part in surveys and public meetings which have been used to shape the design brief sent out to potential developers. It is hoped to select a preferred developer to deliver the scheme in March.

Yesterday Ponteland Town Council chairman, Robin Ramsay, said the successful completion of the regeneration project was seen as vital to the future of the 11,000-population community.

For the future of the town, and using all the buzzwords like sustainability, it is essential to ensure we get a much more active shopping centre. This masterplan would also deliver housing, new community facilities and open spaces.

Community Partnership chairman, Brian Prickett, said a public exhibition of the two developers proposals would be held in Ponteland Memorial Hall in the middle of January. We shall be seeking the thoughts of the local community, because people were quite vociferous at a previous presentation, he said.

There is no funding in place yet for the project and there will need to be lots of discussions after we select a preferred scheme and developer. We will be looking to the chosen developer to secure the required investment for a self-financing scheme.