Newcastle City Council leader Colin Ferguson has insisted there is “nothing to hide” amid an ongoing row over a rumoured cycle lane on Stamfordham Road in Westerhope. His comments came after more than 4,200 people signed a petition opposing the alleged plans, which the council denies are being pursued.
Dozens of yellow ribbons were tied around trees along Stamfordham Road last month following claims that they were at risk of being chopped down to make way for a bike route. Local councillors claim to have been shown council designs earlier this year for a cycle lane on the north side of the road, between its junction with Newbiggin Lane and West Denton Way, which would have required the removal of more than 30 trees and stone walls.
Public meeting promised
Presenting the petition at Wednesday night’s full council meeting, Westerhope resident Chris Parsons criticised a “lack of openness, transparency, and meaningful engagement” from the Civic Centre. He said the idea risked removing features central to the character of the village, adding: “Progress must not come at the expense of heritage, transparency, or the voice of local people.”
Coun Ferguson replied that his administration had made no decision to remove trees on Stamfordham Road for a cycle lane and neither did their Labour predecessors prior to May’s local elections. He said that early stage drafts of a potential scheme had been shared with ward councillors and circulated without funding having been secured for any such project or a decision being made to go ahead with it.
The Gosforth councillor confirmed that he had asked for a public meeting to be arranged where he would address local questions, saying it was the “only fair, genuine, and decent way I can think of to resolve the concerns that people have”.
FOI response explained
He also responded to claims from Mr Parsons that a freedom of information (FOI) request about the cycle lane had been refused on defence, national security and public safety. Coun Ferguson said that some information had been withheld in the FOI response because the council could not publish details of underground cables and pipes that are deemed critical national infrastructure.
He added: “Communities need to feel that these things aren’t being done to them, they are being done with them. That is the way this administration wants to do things and the first way we can do that is by going out, meeting with the public, and showing them that quite clearly, hand on heart, we have nothing to hide here.”
Councillors call for action
Marc Donnelly, an independent councillor in the Chapel ward, urged the council to “release the plans and place a Tree Preservation Order on all the trees in Westerhope Village”.
Ouseburn ward Green councillor Lawrence Davies said the council should not be cutting down 40 trees to build a cycle lane, but that better cycling infrastructure was needed in parts of the city to encourage more people to switch from car journeys to cleaner forms of travel. Coun Davies said: “But we also know that when we ask people in the North East why they don’t cycle more, the number one reason given is that it’s too dangerous without proper cycle infrastructure.
“Now some parts of the city have good cycling infrastructure. Some residents in our city get to choose an alternative to sitting in traffic. We have to offer those opportunities to everyone.”
