Pedestrian zone next to St James' Park confirmed

The narrow street has already been the subject of temporary traffic restrictions

Vehicles will be permanently banned from a street next to St James' Park to make the area safer for football fans and city centre workers.

Strawberry Lane, which is next to the Strawberry pub, will become a permanent pedestrian and cycle zone, Newcastle City Council has confirmed.

The ban means vehicles will not be able to access Strawberry Lane from Strawberry Place and also applies to the full length of Back Gallowgate.

Two public objections were made against the plan.

A Newcastle City Council spokesperson said: "There are a number of new developments in this part of the city centre and the area is particularly busy on match days with many thousands of football fans making their way to St James' Park.

"This will create a safer pedestrian and cycle zone for people, including fans travelling to Newcastle United's home games, without causing any significant impact on wider traffic."

Parking 'increasingly difficult'

The narrow street has already been the subject of temporary traffic restrictions to accommodate construction work near the football stadium.

City transport officials complained the street was previously "used as a rat run by some drivers" cutting between Strawberry Place and Gallowgate, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

One resident who objected to the plans complained that the changes would remove the only vehicular access between Strawberry Place and Gallowgate.

Another said the council's policies risked "dissuading drivers from venturing into the city, as parking becomes increasingly difficult".

The council replied that it was "much more appropriate and safer" for drivers to instead turn on to Barrack Road to get between the two streets.

It added that the existing closure of Strawberry Lane "has not caused any significant issues" and that the pedestrian and cycle zone would help serve new residential developments where car ownership would be "low or non-existent".