Newcastle's Blackett Street traffic ban still on the table, council says

Pedestrianising Blackett Street was proposed as a way of improving city centre air quality

Plans to ban traffic from one of the busiest streets in Newcastle city centre remain on the table, council bosses say.

Proposals to pedestrianise Blackett Street were shelved by the local authority in 2022 amid a change in leadership and bus firm opposition.

Funding totalling £10m was diverted to schemes nearby.

However, councillors have now heard it "has to be part of the discussion" around a city centre redesign.

Blackett Street, which passes Grey's Monument and the Eldon Square shopping centre, has been named among the worst locations in Newcastle for air pollution in recent years, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

'Opportunity to look again'

The council had secured a grant from the government's Levelling Up Fund, but shortly after Nick Kemp replaced Nick Forbes as leader of the Labour-run authority officials said it had been "deferred until such time as it can be fully funded and brought forward as part of a comprehensive package of measures".

Asked about the idea last week, Marion Williams, cabinet member for transport, said: "I don't think it has left the table. We are just looking for the opportunity to look again."

The Labour councillor told the authority's overview and scrutiny panel that Blackett Street "has to be part of the discussion" around redesigning the city centre - particularly given its proximity to the HMRC office building under construction in Pilgrim Street, which is set to bring in thousands of commuters every day.

While supporters said pedestrianisation would promote walking and cycling, there were fears pushing buses on to a new loop around the city centre would cause congestion elsewhere, while making access to shops harder for elderly and disabled people.

Bus company Stagecoach, the main objector to the plans and whose opposition meant a public inquiry would have been required if they were to proceed, said it lost 120,000 passengers when the street was shut in winter 2019 for the city's Christmas market.