Residents of a Newcastle suburb have pleaded with city leaders to protect a “green oasis” from development by turning it into a country park. Locals in Newbiggin Hall have launched a campaign to protect a section of beloved green space next to the Outer West estate, after it emerged that Persimmon Homes is planning to submit a planning application for up to 240 houses on fields south of the A696.
Concerns Over Access Road
There are concerns that the potential access road for the new homes would cut directly through a well-used green pathway which runs between Elsing Close and Oulton Close. Dozens of residents from the Meadow Rise estate gathered outside Newcastle Civic Centre on Wednesday, before presenting a petition calling for the areas known as Newbiggin Dene, Linear Park, and Bluebell Dene to be officially designated as the city council’s 34th park.
The petition, now signed by more than 230 people, says the “green oasis serves as a multi-functional solution to the challenges of dense urban living, which characterises living in Newbiggin Hall and surrounding area”. Newbiggin Hall resident Megan Thomson-Stewart, who delivered the petition to a full council meeting on Wednesday, said that locals were “not against new housing and we never have been” – but feared the proposed access route “severing the only natural green space our estates have”.
Community Voice
Megan told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that the green space was the “heart of the community”. She added: “It's a rare thing now to have natural spaces in a city, and so they should be protected all the more. The fact is, this access road isn't necessary - there are other alternative routes in, and those acting on behalf of the developers have already been using that access road to carry out land-based assessments. Why can't they develop that route further? There is no need to destroy a green space. This community is not going away, and we will be making our case at every stage of this process.”
Persimmon, which said it will hold a public consultation on its building plans before making its application, argued earlier this month that the green space and existing public right of way would remain on either side of the new access road and be “supplemented with significant amounts of public open spaces”. In an initial submission to the council, the developer said that no Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) should be needed for its plans and that they would cause “no likely significant environmental effects”. The council’s planning department has since agreed to that request, much to residents’ dismay.
Council Response
Lib Dem councillor James Coles, the council’s cabinet member for sustainable housing and green investment, told Wednesday’s meeting that the administration “absolutely recognises the importance of accessible green space and natural environments in our neighbourhoods”. He added: “We know the contribution to everyone’s wellbeing in the area around Newbiggin Hall as well.”
Coun Coles said that no planning application had been made for the area and claimed that “no one at the council has been made aware of any plans to do so”, despite the screening opinion request put forward by Persimmon and already decided on by the council. He also pledged to meet with local councillors and residents to discuss the issue.
Newbiggin Hall and Callerton councillor Brian Moore called on the council to “safeguard these denes for future generations by granting the overwhelming wishes of residents to create a countryside park”. The Reform UK councillor added: “Newbiggin hall and surrounding area has 6,000 residents living in relatively high density housing. These denes have, for generations, been the only escape to effectively the countryside.”
