Newcastle Great Park: Postcodes NE3 5RJ, NE13 9BD

Where is it? Bing map  || Geograph grid refs: NZ2370  NZ2270 NZ2271 NZ2371  || Ward profiles: NE3 5RJ (east) NE13 9BD (west) || StreetCheck: NE3 5RJ (east) NE13 9BD (west)

A1 road cutting through Newcastle Great Park
A1 road cutting through Newcastle Great Park, looking from east to west (2015).

“When the development is fully completed, Newcastle Great Park will offer over 4,500 homes that cater for every need. One of the primary aims of the Newcastle Great Park is to provide an alternative to those seeking to move out from Newcastle to live in the surrounding market towns or outside the Region.” Newcastle Great Park website (Feb 2020)

Newcastle Great Park (NGP) is located north west of Newcastle city centre and is bisected by the A1 road (western bypass) and close to Newcastle Airport.  It is a major area of 21st century housing currently under development with land allocated for a business park, community facilities, schools and ‘a town centre’.  The scheme is being delivered for Newcastle City Council by the Great Park Consortium, which includes a number of prominent house builders (e.g. Persimmon and Taylor Wimpey). In 2014 the city council estimated the housing capacity as around 8,000 and it forecast there will be 4,300 houses by 2030.

The Great Park was intended to be a sustainable mixed-use development with high quality urban and landscape design including open space.  Although envisaged to be an economic growth pole for the city, this aspiration seems to have been stalled by the economic downturn in 2008 and the Great Park has yet to experience sustained growth in employment opportunities.  Sage announced in July 2019 that they would move their HQ out of the North Park Avenue site in Newcastle to the Cobalt Business Park near the A19 in North Tyneside [Sage press release July 2019].  At that time it was estimated that nearly 2,000 Sage employees would work at the new location by the end of 2020 [Chronicle July 2019].

The Great Park is not directly connected by the Metro rail system, but does have some bus services which link with Kingston Park and Regent Centre (Gosforth) stations.   Residents are also encouraged to cycle.

Sage headquarters at North Park.
Sage’s former HQ at North Park 2015 – now at Cobalt Business Park.

Background

In the late 1980s it was argued that Newcastle needed to grow and develop to thrive as an urban centre and to do so the city needed provide good quality homes and well-paid jobs for well-qualified people working in hi-tech sectors (the knowledge economy).  It was suggested up to 900 hectares of Green Belt between the A1 and the A696 to the north-west of the city land to the north-west of the city could be suitable for development.

The Final Sustainability Appraisal Report issued by the city council, dated February 2006, described the process by which the Great Park came about (document no longer available).  The Newcastle upon Tyne draft Unitary Development Plan (UDP) of 1991 proposed releasing Green Belt land in this area to accommodate the need for future development and labelled it the ‘Northern Development Area’ (NDA).  In 1993 the NDA was designated as an ‘Action Area’ with proposals for 139 hectares of economic development land and 172 hectares for 2,500 dwellings and associated local community facilities including open spaces.  A Public Local Inquiry was held between November 1994 and June 1995. The Inspector’s report (November 1996) backed the proposals for the NDA and the Unitary Development Plan was formally adopted in January 1998 (available from the council’s Local Plan page).

“The proposed Northern Development Area, between Gosforth and Hazlerigg contains the prime site within the Region for the attraction of inward investment” UDP 1998 (p6)

It should not be imagined that this series of events went unopposed.  Many campaign groups and residents fought the NDA proposal to remove Green Belt status from such a large tract of farm land and build on it.

Outline planning permission for the development, now to be known as Newcastle Great Park (NGP), was granted in 2000 following a decision by Labour environment minister John Prescott to ease restrictions on hi-tech development on greenfield sites (The Guardian 15 Jan 2000).  Newcastle City Council adopted the Revised Master Plan, along with a supplementary planning document and a sustainability appraisal, for the Great Park in May 2006.

 “Creating a vibrant community is key to the future vision for NGP and environmental and economic improvements are seen as extremely important. This is not just in order to contribute to reducing the negative impacts of global climate change, but as a method to attract population, reducing energy use
and transportation running costs for all residents in the NGP area.” Final Sustainability Appraisal Report, 2006 (p7)

Key documents include The Unitary Development Plan (as adopted in 1998) and the revised master plan documents (2006).  Future planning for the Great Park area was incorporated into the One Core Strategy documents the council presented.  The inspector supported the proposal for a further 1,480 houses at the Great Park.

Local stakeholders continue to seek to oppose what they see as over or inappropriate development (see Continued growth and oppostion below).

Housing

Brunton Grange
Brunton Grange – community centre in the distance on the left (2015).

Residential development has taken place in phased cells which have been given specific area names such as Brunton Grange, East Moor village, Elmwood Park and Greenside.  A council projection dating from 2014 estimates that there will be well over 4,000 houses by 2030 and that the capacity of the NGP is far higher than this.

villas Barmoor Drive
Barmoor Drive, Melbury (2015)

The early phases, known as Melbury, focused on Featherstone Grove, and Warkworth Woods, just north of Brunton Lane, have been complete for some time (approx. 2003-5).  These distinctly upmarket properties are on the east side of the A1 and both extend the established area of 1950s housing Brunton Park, Gosforth.  There is a mix of detached, semi-detached and terraced family homes (175 at Warkworth Woods and 500 at Melbury).  The 2011 Census suggests most people living here are relatively affluent, employed in professional or managerial occupations and have degree-level qualifications.

In 2015 the average house price for postcode NE3 5RJ (east side of the A1) was £249,500, ranging from £147,500 for a flat to £363,100 for a detached house; for NE13 9BD (west side of the A1) it was just under £200,000, ranging from £131,225 to £284,950.  By comparison, the average for NE3 2QX at Kingston Park was just under £100,000.

Using Right Move’s price search, it seems prices of houses sold in 2019 in Roseden Way (NE13 9BD) were similar to when they had been first sold in 2009-2014, with some selling for slightly less than their original price.  The data for Barmoor Drive (NE3 5R*), where properties date from 2003, tells much the same story although the data is more limited as fewer houses have been sold in 2019.

Featherstone Grove, Melbury.
Featherstone Grove, Melbury (2015).

On the west side of the A1 most building has occurred in Greenside (cell G),  East Moor Village and Brunton Grange (both cell F).  These houses are closer to local facilities such as the community centre, nursery and first school.  Greenside is  just north of Kingston Park and when complete there will be 320 homes.  East Moor Village has about 80 houses and is next to the school.  Brunton Grange is offered some new homes through the Government’s ‘Newbuild Homebuy’ scheme.

“The first phase of affordable housing is now complete in the town centre. This includes an extra care facility with 40 two bedroom self contained flats. Also, two buildings containing 42 two bed flats with ground floor mixed use rental units.”  City council Great Park page (July 2015)

“There has been a huge investment in the town centre in 2017 and we now have 19 small retail units available to let. The Town Square and work to complete Roseden Way will start in early 2018…  One of the problems is that we have interest from over 100 potential occupiers and this negotiation is taking longer than expected. … We also now have a formal offer from a major supermarket and … we also have interest in the pub/restaurant, medical provision and private nurseries.”  December 2017 update

It is planned that Cell A, in the north west of the Great Park close to Sage HQ, will be developed next with 1,200 homes and school provision including playing pitches, but this move has proved controversial (Nov 2019).

Roseden Way
Persimmon houses on Roseden Way, Brunton Grange (2015).

Continued growth and oppostion

The Great Park is projected to continue to develop and grow for some years to come.  By October 2019 2,000 of the 4,500 homes promised had been built.   This is slightly behind the schedule laid out in 2014 (graph below).

build out rates
Great Park build out rates – Newcastle City Council June 2014 (no longer available online)

In January 2018 the council’s planning committee ‘gave the go-ahead’ plans for 1,200 houses despite hundreds of people objecting.  A representative from Newcastle Airport originally argued the houses would be too close to their runway and be badly affected by noise.

“The project attracted hundreds of objections from people worried about the impact on wildlife such as birds and squirrels, traffic, loss of green belt space and the effect on the nearby Havannah and Three Hills Local Nature Reserve. It was said the number of houses far exceeded the 880 homes originally intended for the site.” Chronicle report Jan 12 2018

The plans for Cells A and B1 of the Great Park (Taylor Wimpey and Persimmon), got council backing in December 2018 but ten months of legal negotiations followed meant formal planning permission was only issued in October 2019 [Chronicle 28 Jan 2020].

There are to be 1,200 new homes, described as ‘a mix of marketable and affordable housing’ of which around three-quarters will be for families. Two new schools will also be built (a first school and a middle/secondary school) [Newcastle council Oct 2019].

“The application was granted planning approval by councillors in December 2018, but it has taken eight months of negotiation for all parties, including the council and developers to sign the legal agreement triggering the formal planning approval by planners.” [Newcastle council Oct 2019]

More than 3,600 people had signed an online petition objecting [Chronicle news report Jan 2018].  The story doesn’t end there as Save Newcastle Wildlife lodged a claim for judicial review against the approval of this next phase of construction in November 2019 [Chronicle 15 Nov 2019].  An online petition asking for the Havannah nature reserve and its red squirrel population to be protected gained more than 16,000 signatures (see SNW campaign).  The wildlife group launched a successful crowdfunding bid to cover their costs [Chronicle news report 28 Jan 2020].

The case went to the High Court for an intial hearing on February 11th 2020 and the High Court refused the application for permission to apply for judicial review of the decision to grant planning permission for development at Newcastle Great Park [Chronicle news report Feb 12th 2020].

“The Court agreed our case was arguable on the grounds that the planning application contravened Policy NN4 of the Core Strategy and Urban Core Plan, but judged it likely that permission still would have been granted even when considered as a departure from local policy.  We are deeply disappointed by this decision but are reassured that the Court deemed our case arguable.” Save Newcastle Wildlife statement facebook 12th Feb 2020

The Town centre – and broken promises

A scheme to create a proper town centre for the Great Park, on Roseden Way close to the junction with Wagonway Drive, has been long promised.

“The multiple use town centre is centered around a new supermarket with North to South pedestrian boulevard, market square and links to the surrounding housing and strategic open space. In the town centre it is planned that high street style shops, cafes and restaurants will provide for the needs of the new community.” Newcastle council webpage 2016 – no longer available

Staff at Gradon Architecture were involved in the master plan for the Great Park and the town centre affordable housing and retail units designed by them received planning permission in March 2016 [Chronicle June 2016].  Consultation sessions were held and the plans revised (e.g. to include additional open space).  Yet residents complained they were still waiting in September 2018 [Chronicle news story Sep 12 2018].  They called for a halt to expansion and have set up a campaign website:  http://www.greatparkactiongroup.co.uk/

“For the past 10 years, the consortium has promised all current and prospective residents 18 retail units, a supermarket, a pub and a beautiful landscaped area. As of yet NONE of this has been delivered. Please compare the plans and the current reality… it’s an absolute disgrace.” GP Action Group 2018

Landscaping and the Town Square were announced as ‘nearing completion’ in May 2019 [residents update]. In October 2019 the consortium stated that had retailers about to move in and were in the early stages of negotiations with a pub operator [GNP residents update Oct 2019]. In November 2019 a legal agreement was signed with a major supermarket within the Newcastle Great Park Town Centre [GNP Residents update Nov 2019].  A December 2019 town centre update makes clear leases with other retailers had not yet been signed and GNP was unable to make announcements.

Many residents have felt they have been living in a building site for years.  The October 2018 issues list highlights a range of problems people have had to put up with: https://www.newcastlegreatpark.com/october-issues-list/

“60% of the residents surveyed said that they had a 1 out of 10 confident rating that reported issues would be resolved in a timely fashion by the consortium.” GP Action Group 2018

Belatedly the consortium have made a move to set up a Great Park Neighbourhood Association (GPNA) [NGP Nov 2019].

The Environment

There are also issues that have arisen that have been tricky to resolve.  The Great Park was promoted as benefiting from having open spaces and being developed with some environmental sensitivity.

“The landscape that is now in place has totally transformed arable farmland into a diverse mosaic of woodland, meadowland and network of drainage systems with hills, vales and streams. This ecosystem delivers wide open spaces with cycleways and pathways linking all the development cells and the wider environment of Newcastle-upon-Tyne.” NGP environment page (July 2015)

Unfortunately  it has not always been clear  that these open spaces would not all be publicly accessible and the landowners appear to have failed to communicate clearly where rights of way exist.

On the positive side there is a Nature Conservation Steering Group and a clear Biodiversity Action Plan, which aims to protect and enhance wildlife, and surveys are undertaken every few years [Newcastle Great Park BAP Dec 2019].  The steering group meets at least annually and includes community members ad well as the council, the consortium and groups such as Natural England, Northumberland Wildlife Trust and the Environment Agency.

Not everyone is convinced the developers and the planners are living up to the intentions of this action plan (see housing above).

“Save Newcastle Wildlife has confirmed that it has lodged a claim for judicial review against council chiefs’ decision to approve the next phase of construction on the controversial development site, in a bid to protect species in the Green Belt and nearby Havannah Nature Reserve.” [Newcastle Chronicle 15 Nov 2019]

The judicial review was refused on February 11th 2020 (see housing above).

Schools

Brunton First School is situated in the heart of the the Great Park in Roseden Way and is a member of the Gosforth Schools’ Trust.  It opened in September 2009.

The Gosforth Great Park Academy (GPA) project aims to meet demand for middle school and secondary school places.  The Secretary of State for Education has confirmed the proposal to build GPA should proceed. This school will be part of the Gosforth Academy federation and will eventually occupy a site at the Great Park.  The initial plan was to open in September 2020, accommodating pupils in existing Academy premises, and reach full capacity at 1500 students (June 2017 update ).

In October 2019, following the legal challenge (described above) to the overall development, which has resulted in delays, it was announced two new schools would go ahead (a first school and a middle/secondary school) [Newcastle council Oct 2019]. A location near the SAGE building had been chosen.  In the meantime, contingency plans aim to ensure that there will be places in Gosforth Middle Schools for all children leaving Gosforth First Schools in September 2020.  The new schools are now expected to open in September 2022.

“In October 2019 Newcastle City Council issued formal planning consent for location of a first school and middle/secondary school, including associated playing pitches, at Newcastle Great Park (NGP). The detailed design and layout of both schools are yet to be determined and separate reserved matters applications for the design of the schools will be required before they can be delivered on site.” [Great Park Academy  Jan 2020 FAQs page is no longer available]

“We are currently reviewing how we meet the demand for school places in the city. Following delays to the new schools being built at Newcastle Great Park, we are currently working with a number of secondary and middle schools to provide ‘bulge classes’. This is a short-term solution to meet the demand in September 2020 and 2021 prior to new secondary provision opening in the city.  We have successfully worked in partnership with Gosforth Multi-Academy Trust to provide some additional places which have been funded from the Basic Need grant from government.”  Newcastle council spokesperson [Newcastle Chronicle 17 Feb 2020]

It has been estimated Newcastle will need an additional 4,500 school places across all age ranges by 2030, but the city council’s assistant director for education and skills has admitted they have ‘no idea’ whether that target will be met [Newcastle Chronicle 28 June 2019].

Main links

The information on this site has been updated to 23 March 2020.
[Broken link corrected March 2023]

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