Newcastle Great Park | |
---|---|
Location within Tyne and Wear | |
OS grid reference | NZ 229 709 |
Metropolitan borough | |
Metropolitan county | |
Region | |
Country | England |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Post town | NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE |
Postcode district | NE3, NE13 |
Dialling code | 0191 |
Police | Northumbria |
Fire | Tyne and Wear |
Ambulance | North East |
UK Parliament | |
Newcastle Great Park is a new suburb in the north of Newcastle upon Tyne, England. Much of Newcastle Great Park is still under development and is sandwiched in between older areas of Newcastle, namely Gosforth, Fawdon and Kingston Park to the south, and Hazlerigg to the north. Newcastle Great Park is the largest housing development in the North East of England. [1]
Development of this area, Newcastle City Council's 'Northern Development Area' had been in planning since at least 1991. [2] In the 1990s the plans consisted of 2,500 houses and a 200-acre business and industrial development which could provide up to 10,000 jobs. [3] Current indicative phasing shows plans for 3,300+ homes by 2030 and 4,100+ beyond 2030. [1]
Prior to the area becoming a large housing and business development, the area to the north of the Great Park development was Hazlerigg Colliery. After the colliery closed the land it stood on was redeveloped into Havannah Nature Reserve. Fawdon Wagonway served the local collieries during the 19th century; the Wagonway lends its name to a street in the new development and part of the wagonway's route is still in existence as a public footpath.
The Newcastle Great Park development is 15 years into a 30+ year building project. [1] Estates within the Great Park include:
Housing is currently under development by Charles Church, Persimmon Homes and Taylor Wimpey. Great Park town centre is under construction near Brunton Lane to the west of the A1. [4] According to Newcastle City Council the town centre will include a supermarket, high street style shops, cafés, restaurants, a hotel, nursing home, private hospital and leisure facilities.
House building in Great Park started in 2001 on the Warkworth Woods development shortly followed by Melbury in 2002. The table below shows current and planned housing numbers, in date order, up to 2030: [5]
Development Name | Development Cell | Developer | Timescale | Number of Homes |
---|---|---|---|---|
Warkworth Woods | Cell H | Bryant Homes | 2001–2005 | 175 |
Melbury | Cell I | TBC | 2002–2010 | 500 |
Greenside | Cell G | Taylor Wimpey & Persimmon Homes | 2007–2016 | 326 |
Town Centre (Flats - phase 1) | Cell F | TBC | 2009–2010 | 82 |
East Moor Village | Cell F | Taylor Wimpey | 2009–2012 | 82 |
Brunton Village / Grange (phase 1) | Cell F | Taylor Wimpey & Persimmon Homes | 2010–2015 | 282 |
Brunton Grange (phase 2) | Cell F | Taylor Wimpey & Persimmon Homes | 2013–2019 | 332 |
Elmwood Park Court / View / Gardens / Green | Cell C | Persimmon Homes & Charles Church | 2013–2021 | 432 |
Brunton Green / Grange (phase 3) | Cell E | Taylor Wimpey & Persimmon Homes | 2015–2019 | 155 |
Town Centre (Flats - phase 2) | Cell F | TBC | 2016–2017 | 38 |
Brunton West | Cell D | Taylor Wimpey | 2017–2021 | 82 |
Brunton Meadows | Cell D | Persimmon Homes | 2017–2021 | 81 |
West Heath | Cell D | Taylor Wimpey | 2017–2021 | 164 |
The Oaklands | Cell D | Charles Church | 2020-2022 | 44 |
TBC | Cell D | TBC | 2021–2029 | 429 |
TBC | Cell A | TBC | 2021–2030 | 880 |
Newcastle Great Park contains two first schools, Brunton First School and Havannah First School, and as Newcastle operates a three tier education system older students feed into Gosforth Junior High Academy and on to Gosforth Academy (via its Great Park Academy new school). Brunton First School opened in September 2009 [6] and Havannah First School opened in 2022 when Gosforth's Broadway East First School relocated to the Great Park. [7]
In 2015 the academy unveiled a bid to build an additional 1,200-place secondary school in Newcastle Great Park as potential plan to meet the demand for school places from the expanding residential community in the area. [8] The Secretary of State for Education confirmed the proposal to build a school as part of the Gosforth Academy federation at the Great Park in Cell A with an intended opening date of September 2020. [9] Formal approval of a first school providing spaces for 450 pupils and a middle/secondary school for up to 1,700 pupils was granted by Newcastle City Council in October 2019. [10] The Great Park Academy (GPA) has been delayed due a judicial review process which wildlife campaigners lost in February 2020. [11] [12] The new schools are now expected to open in 2025 [13] and contingency measures, including 'bulge classes' at existing schools, are being implemented to provide for pupils. [14]
The software company Sage Group had their world headquarters in Newcastle Great Park between 2004 and 2021. [15] Sage Group's building, named North Park, was one of the first occupants of Newcastle Great Park in 2004 as Sage moved their Newcastle-based staff into a single building for the first time having previously been spread between two buildings on Benton Park Road and also in Horsley House in Regent Centre. As of 2021 Sage's building in Great Park is vacant and up for sale/lease. [16]
Sage's 32,000 square metres (340,000 sq ft) building housing approximately 1500 employees was built at a cost of £57 million. [17] The building was worked on by Cundall, Tolent and idpartnership architects, [18] and required the use of the largest mobile crane in the country at the time of construction. [19] The building was shortlisted for the British Council for Offices Awards (2005 - Corporate Workplace Project) and was the runner up for the Landmark Awards (2005 - Office Development). [20]
During the planning stages Sage's building was initially earmarked for Cell B of the development before switching to Cell C; moving further from the A1 road. [21] The building was designed to be built in two phases and able to house up to 3000 members of staff, however this expansion did not occur. [22]
In 2019 Sage announced their intention to move their Newcastle office out of their North Park headquarters building and into the Cobalt Business Park, [23] the UK's largest business park, signing a 15-year lease starting 2020/2021. [24]
Esh Plaza is a business office development consisting of two buildings that includes the headquarters of Bede Gaming – previous occupants included the Credit Services Association and the NHS. [25] [26]
A Londis shop, which opened on Featherstone Grove in March 2011, was the first store in the Melbury estate (this changed to a Premier Express shop known as 'The Great Park Store'), but this has since closed.
A pharmacy is open in the town centre area. In July 2021 a branch of One Stop opened in Middleton South in the Town Centre. [27]
In 2023 a Morrisons supermarket opened. [28]
A dental practice opened in the town centre in August 2022 on the site of Middleton North.
The Great Park Community Centre, based on Roseden Way, opened in March 2014 and provides a range of services and facilities to the local community including:
A wide range of activities run from the centre including A Church of England group, Pilates, Children's Dance, Drama Sessions, Martial Arts, Girl Guides, Summer Camps, Free Play and more. [29]
The closest airport to Newcastle Great Park is Newcastle International Airport, which is located approximately 6 miles (9.7 km) away by road. or 2.9 Miles (4.7 km) as the crow flies.
Newcastle Great Park is served by bus routes X46 (operated by Gateshead Central Taxis) and Quaycity Q3 (operated by Go North East).
The X46 links Haymarket bus station with Gosforth, Regent Centre and Featherstone Grove (Melbury). The route operates every hour during the day (Monday to Saturday), and with no Sunday services.
The Quaycity Q3 links Wallsend, Walker, Ouseburn and Quayside with Haymarket bus station, [note 1] Gosforth, Jesmond, Regent Centre, Great Park Park and Ride and Great Park Village. The route operates up to every 20 minutes during the day (Monday to Saturday), and half-hourly during the evening and on Sunday. There are also extra buses at peak times.
The Q3 got brand new Yutong E12 electric single decker buses in 2022. [30]
The closest Tyne and Wear Metro stations to Newcastle Great Park are located at Fawdon and Kingston Park, with Newcastle Central and Manors being the closest National Rail station.
Newcastle Great Park is situated on the A1 road, to the north of Newcastle. The A19 is near the great park with links to North and South Tyneside. The A19 Interhange is at junction 80, only one junction up from the Great Park. The Great Park is also near the A696 road. This starts only two junctions away from the Great Park at junction 77. The A696 provides connectivity to the Airport, Ponteland, Otterburn and Rural Northumberland.
Cycling is via a dedicated partially segregated cycle route from Newcastle City Centre. However, there is then no dedicated cycle path along the busy Broadway West artery from the Great North Road to the A1 and on to Greenside and Great Park (only a very partially segregated path near Fawdon and over the A1 then winding round to Kingston Park, but not great for commuters or in winter when this is very quiet and dark, and nothing along Kingston Park Road). However a dedicated, segregated route is being campaigned for currently. Local people are signing a new Cycle Lane for Broadway West petition to reduce congestion and improve safety.
Wideopen, also occasionally misspelled as Wide Open, is a village in the North Tyneside metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, England, around 5 miles (8.0 km) north of Newcastle.
Regent Centre is a large business park and residential complex in Gosforth, Newcastle upon Tyne, England. The business park is home to a variety of companies, including banking group Virgin Money whose Head Office is located on the site. The centre has its own transport interchange with a station on the Tyne & Wear Metro and integrated bus station.
Fawdon is an electoral ward of Newcastle upon Tyne, in the county of Tyne and Wear, England. It is also close to the A1 western bypass. The population of the ward is 10,890, reducing to 10,090 at the 2011 Census, 5.7% of the total population of Newcastle upon Tyne. Car ownership in the area is 53.6%, lower than the city average of 54.7%. Until 1974 it was in Northumberland.
Hazlerigg is a village and civil parish north of the City of Newcastle upon Tyne in Tyne and Wear, England. It is about 5 miles (8.0 km) north of the city centre, on the A1. It is split between Newcastle upon Tyne and North Tyneside, each side of the A1 being a different district. The parish council administer the Newcastle side, whereas the area located in North Tyneside is unparished. Much of the Newcastle Great Park development is within the area administered by the Hazlerigg Parish Council. Located in the village is a post office, a fish & chip shop, a beauty salon, a hairdresser, a garage, a convenience store and a social club that is now open under new management. In spite of having a population of 1,053, and almost 800 homes, Hazlerigg has never had a pub. The population of the civil Parish taken at the 2011 Census was 980.
Gosforth is an area of Newcastle upon Tyne, England, situated north of the City Centre. It constituted a separate urban district of Northumberland from 1895 until 1974 before officially merging with the city of Newcastle upon Tyne. In 2001, it had a population of 23,620.
Kenton is a suburb and electoral ward in the north west of Newcastle upon Tyne, England. It borders the Town Moor and Gosforth. Kenton also has close road links to Newcastle Airport. The ward population at the 2011 Census was 11,605.
Parklands is an electoral ward of Newcastle upon Tyne in North East England. It encompasses the northern edge of the suburb of Gosforth, north of the Metro line and bisected north–south by the Great North Road to the northern boundary of the City of Newcastle, bounded to the west by the A1 and east by the A189.
Forest Hall is a village in the borough of North Tyneside, Tyne and Wear, England. It is 4 miles from Newcastle upon Tyne. It borders Killingworth to the north, Holystone to the east and Benton to the south. The village was named after the Forest Hall, which incorporated a medieval tower. Woodside Court was built on the site of the Hall, which was demolished in 1962.
The Gosforth area of Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear, England, has three main Middle Schools. They are Central, East and Junior High. Students from all three middle schools usually transfer to Gosforth Academy.
Gosforth Junior High Academy, formerly known as Gosforth West Middle School is a middle school in Gosforth, Newcastle upon Tyne, England. It is the Junior School of Gosforth Academy.
West Gosforth was an electoral ward in the north of Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear, England. It was created in 2004 and abolished in 2018. The population of the ward is 9,681, increasing to 9,991 at the 2011 Census, 3.7% of the total population of Newcastle upon Tyne. Car ownership in the area is 78.1%, higher than the city average of 54.7%.
Coxlodge is an area situated between Fawdon, Gosforth and Kenton in Newcastle upon Tyne, in the county of Tyne and Wear, England. Until 1974 it was in Northumberland.
Partnership House is a landmark tower office building in Gosforth, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom. It is located within the Regent Centre business park, and was originally built to act as the main entrance and landmark building within the headquarters complex of the Northern Rock bank, prior to its near-collapse and nationalisation. It lies in the West Gosforth council ward. The building is owned by the local council, Newcastle City Council, whereas the majority of the Regent Centre buildings are owned by Omnia.
The Ponteland Railway was a 7-mile (11 km) single-track branch line, which linked Gosforth in Tyne and Wear with Ponteland in Northumberland. A 1+1⁄4-mile (2 km) sub-branch line also ran between Ponteland and Darras Hall.
Cundall is a multi-disciplinary engineering consultancy established in 1976 by Michael Burch, Rick Carr, Geoff Cundall, David Gandy, and Bernard Johnston. Founded in Newcastle and Edinburgh, Cundall now has United Kingdom offices in London, Newcastle, Edinburgh, Birmingham, Belfast, and Manchester, with Australian offices in Sydney, Perth, Melbourne, Brisbane, and Adelaide; Asian offices in Hong Kong, Shanghai, Manila, and Singapore; Middle East and North African (MENA) offices in Dubai, Doha, and Tripoli, and European offices in Dublin, Bucharest, Paphos, Madrid, and Wroclaw.
Havannah Nature Reserve lies to the west of the village of Hazlerigg, approximately five miles north of the centre of Newcastle upon Tyne in the north of England. It was declared a nature reserve in 1998 and is designated a Site of Local Conservation Interest. A wildlife corridor runs through the site.
The Fawdon Wagonway was from 1818 to 1826 a 1 mile 3 furlongs (2.2 km) long horse-drawn and partially rope-operated industrial railway in Fawdon near Newcastle upon Tyne. It was the first cable car employing a moving rope that could be picked up or released by a grip on the cars.
Cobalt Park is a business park located in North Tyneside, England. It is one of the largest business parks in the United Kingdom.