Newcastle council criticised over road closure communication

Some householders say they will be forced onto the busy Salters Road junction

Residents have criticised a council for not telling them about a consultation meeting at which permanent road closures were discussed.

Households in parts of Gosforth and High West Jesmond were not invited by Newcastle City Council to a drop-in session, while others were.

The council said the plans "would be subject to public consultation".

One resident said the closures would force her down "more polluted and severely congested routes".

Adding 30-40 minutes to her journeys "surely can't be sensible in a part of Newcastle that already has high levels of vehicle emissions", she added.

One of the proposals is to close the junction of Moorfield and the Great North Road

The drop-in session, on 9 March, was billed as an opportunity to find out about proposals for bus lanes on Gosforth High Street.

A resident on Moor Road North said they were "disappointed" the letter did not mention the road closures, which were only brought up at the meeting and which she only heard about from a friend.

The proposals would involve closing The Grove at its junction with Moor Road South, and preventing access from nearby Moorfield on to the Great North Road.

Householders said this would force local and through traffic to join Gosforth High Street at its busy Salters Road junction or rat-run through High West Jesmond.

Some living in Grove Park said their only other option would be to travel via Haddrick's Mill, which is one of the city's busiest junctions and criticised as unsafe.

The council said about 2,250 residents and businesses had been invited to the public event to discuss bus priority measures.

"We took the opportunity to discuss some initial ideas to improve walking and cycling in the wider Gosforth area and gather people's feedback," a spokesperson said.

"Our team are reviewing this feedback and will be finalising plans for the area over the coming months, which would be subject to public consultation."