AN INDUSTRIAL English city home to a high street dubbed the “worst in Britain” will be transformed forever as part of a £85million project.
is set to transformThe Ryecroft, Astley Place and The Midway into new living, leisure and space.
A new 455-space Castle on part of the Ryecroft site is already up and running, welcoming guests since earlier this year.
Meanwhile, work is underway at the former York Place site, renamed Astley Place, cabinet members heard at their latest meeting.
Now, the full cabinet at Newcastle Borough Council has been recommended to approve spending at its next meeting.
This includes £33.1m on the Ryecroft scheme, £16.1m on Astley Place and £35.9m on the former Midway Car Park site.
Deputy leader Stephen Sweeney said: “The car park is up and running now – we needed to get that done first of all.
“Some of the land has been sold to Aspire and more has been sold to McCarthy Stone for over 55s accommodation, and in conjunction with Capital & Centric we're going to build an aparthotel and 130 units for people to live in.
“The next time we talk about this it will almost be handing over keys to people to move into their accommodation.
“This is getting on the ground and building things, big cranes in the , and it's really exciting.”
The project also aims to increase biodiversity and deliver a cleaner, greener heart of the city that will benefit its people for generations to come.
It comes after Newcastle was ranked in based on findings from major consultancy firm PWC.
The findings, originally published by The Mirror last yearassessed each city on 12 criteria: , income, , safety, skills, work-life balance, housing, income equality, high street shops environment and start-ups.
After all of the data was totted up, it left Newcastle rounding out the top five of the worst places to live.
Sadly, this is not a first as Shields Road, in Byker, Newcastle, earnedthe worst high street in Britain title twice.
Residents and businesses of Shields Roads were appalled when the high street first received bottom ranking in the 2017 Retail Vitality Rankings, published by retail consultancy Harper Dennis Hobbs.
The index ranked high streets using a string of factors, such as the number of upmarket stores, discount retailers, pawnbrokers, and empty shops.
Despite a call for urgent action, Shields Road ranked bottom once again in 2019 in a list of 1,000 retail destinations.
However, Shields Road wasn't always like this.
It was once a vibrant boulevard filled with boutique shops, cinemas and an upmarket department store.
However, it has undergone a , which lasted from the 1950s up until the turn of the 21st century when it fell into disrepair.
Locals living onUK’s “worst high street”react
Homeless Jane Robinson, then 40, explained how she had been forced to sleep anywhere she could along the road since losing her home while fleeing alleged .
: “There are always drunks wandering the streets.
“You can see them congregating opposite the supermarkets so they can buy more booze.
“There's an area outside the swimming baths nicknamed ‘Suicide Square' because it's where the druggies hang out.
“They were banned from buying alcohol from the store at one point because it got so bad.
“There are always fights but there'll be more today because it's sunny, so they'll drink more.
“The street is dangerous. My friend once had three fights walking from one end to the other. People start arguments for no reason.”
Meanwhile, Jacky Sivell, then 59, a retired carer warned of pickpockets targeting the elderly.
She said: “You have to be careful walking around here because there are so many pickpockets and thieves.
“I make sure my bag is locked and in my sight so no one takes anything.
“They even target the elderly and vulnerable. There was an older woman who was recently attacked on this street.”
Paul Mackie, 66, has lived in Byker all of his life and remembers the
street in its heyday.
“You used to be able to get everything you needed here but now you can't get anything,” he says.
“This was rammed day in, day out. If you came at 9.30 in the morning you couldn't get parked, it was so busy.
“There's nothing here anymore but boarded-up shops and drunks. If you go to the cash point you'll be mugged.
“It's sad to see its decline as it was a lovely place to be.”
The council's previous response
A Newcastle City Council spokesperson previously said: “For generations Shields Road has been the heart of the East End of Newcastle but like many other high streets up and down the country it has suffered as a result of the trend towards online shopping and the devastating economic consequences of the .
“Government cuts, which has meant that we have had to save £335m since 2010, have inevitably deprived high streets of investment.
“We are working with public sector partners and private sector investors to address communities' concerns across every neighbourhood in the city and help high streets adapt to changing consumer habits.”
Neighbourhood Inspector Craig Pratchett of Northumbria said: “We know that the anti-social behaviour of a minority can have a significant and detrimental impact on the communities we serve.
“That’s why we, as a Force, are committed to tackling any pockets of disorder through proactive policing and dedicated operations.
“A lot of hard work is ongoing in this particular area to tackle anti-social behaviour, and we’ve had some fantastic recent results working with the local community as well as our partners.
“In the last few weeks alone, we have secured civil injunctions on two individuals believed to have been involved in disorder and who are now banned from the area.
“We will continue to do all we can to tackle anti-social behaviour and anybody with concerns is encouraged to speak to an officer, contact us via our website or by ringing 101.
“By working together, we can continue to ensure the North East remains as safe a place as it possibly can be to live, work and visit.”;
