Newcastle upon Tyne Liberal Democrats

South Gosforth Green is well known to locals as a quiet oasis next to the noise of Haddrick's Mill.

Newcastle City Council has released plans to build bungalows on about a third of the Green.

Whilst we support the Council's aim to build housing specifically to aid those touched with autism we believe there are better nearby places available. Most notably the former Jesmond Dene Nursery site which the council is planning to sell off for millions of pounds. Like South Gosforth Green the nursery is set-off from the main road. Unlike the Green the Nursery gives access to the superb Jesmond Dene which would be of great benefit to the residents.

Liberal Democrats Councillors are calling on Newcastle City Council to bring forward proposals for redevelopment of the Arena site and adjacent derelict land in the Pottery Lane area of the city, suggesting it could be the next key regeneration priority for the city centre.

The existing Arena will be surplus to requirements following its move to a new site on Gateshead Quays in years to come, and its current site forms part of a wider area of brownfield land much of which has been derelict for many years.

The Opposition Lib Dems are calling on the council to make progress in regenerating this part of the city after prolonged inaction, suggesting the area offers the potential to generate significant economic and employment benefits.

Opposition leader Cllr Anita Lower said:

"Anyone crossing the river by train or Metro can see welcome signs of economic development in the form of cranes and construction at the Stephenson Quarter and Forth Banks, much of which was set in motion by the previous Lib Dem council. But in the area around the Arena, there's little sign of development opportunities being realised.

"We recognise the area is complicated in terms of level change, access, and brownfield decontamination, but we would like to see the council seize the opportunity afforded by the Arena's departure to come up with a major development blueprint for the area. It may be some time until the Arena departs, but given that it generally takes a decade to get from vision to reality in major regeneration, the council needs to get on with it now. We have heard aspirational talk from the council about mixed use development but as of this moment, there is nothing happening, and it has been like that for a long time.

"We would like to see the council reap the benefit of this site as a location for employment, whether in terms of an expansion of Newcastle Business Park or as the location for a major new entertainment attractor. We'd like it to become something more than just another apartment village. When the Lib Dems ran Newcastle, we were keen to see this area be considered as the location for a convention centre. Regrettably, Newcastle has missed the boat on that, but we believe the council needs to show more ambition and get on with creating jobs. There's no excuse for this part of the city centre remaining derelict indefinitely."

Read more here

http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/what-happen-metro-arena-new-13481572

Some 170 houses are to be built on the fields giving onto Coach Lane, to the east of the A1. At the same time as this, Liberal Democrat Councillors have expressed disappointment that there is no house building on the Sanderson Hospital site between Salters Road, North Avenue and Brackenfield Road. The site has remained empty for about 15 years since the hospital closed.

Gosforth councillors will be on Gosforth High Street on the first Saturday of every month, outside the Shopping Centre (look out for the umbrella and the sandwich board)

This is in addition to private Councillor surgeries which are advertised widely and regularly.

We look forward to seeing you to discuss issues of concern, or just to say hello!

Responding to the Government announcement on clean air, Newcastle's Lib Dem Opposition has challenged the city council's Labour leadership to publicly state its intentions on addressing air quality concerns on the Central Motorway East and Tyne Bridge approach, which has been identified by DEFRA as an air quality hotspot for NOx (nitrous oxide) pollution from traffic congestion emissions

The city council has been critical in its response to Government consultation, with some justification, over slow progress on introducing a national Air Quality Action Plan in response to tougher EU clean air targets, but the Opposition has drawn attention to Newcastle's own lack of progress on this front, including a decision in 2013 not to introduce a low emissions zone plan for the city centre.

The Government is requiring Leeds, Birmingham, Southampton, Derby and Nottingham to introduce Clean Air Zones to tackle air quality in these cities, and is encouraging other cities to take action to tackle identified hotspots. It is understood that Newcastle air quality levels are only just above the level of the cities required to act. The city was recently visited by the deputy director of DEFRA to raise concerns over air quality levels in congestion hotspots, and it has been urged to consider implementing a Clean Air Zone centred on the Central Motorway East and potentially including the Quayside. However, the council has yet to make a public statement on this.

London's Mayor has recently introduced a Clean Air Zone programme in the capital which requires high-emissions freight vehicles to pay a £10 daily charge, although Clean Air Zone guidance does not automatically require introduction of restrictions or charges on private cars.

The council's existing policies for air quality date from 2006 when under Liberal Democrat control. In 2013 the council commissioned a report by Capita Symons and Newcastle University which recommended against introduction of a city centre low emissions zone on the grounds that costs would exceed revenue, and that "natural replacement" would soon lead to reductions in emission levels. The report also noted that introducing a Low Emissions Zone in the city centre would be contrary to the council's commitment to free parking in the city centre after 6pm.

The council's existing transport policies seek to reduce vehicle use in the city centre, but the Lib Dems are concerned that this is now contributing to increased congestion and emissions on edge of centre routes like the Central Motorway and Boulevard. They are calling for the city council to clarify its intentions in light of today's Government announcement, and are calling for it to make progress towards restrictions on HGV use in the city centre together with a target for transition away from use of high emission diesel-based public transport such as buses and taxis by 2025 and an environmental impact assessment of the extent to which the council's policies are increasing congestion on the Central Motorway. The party wants to see air quality measures included in a joined up climate change strategy for the city.

Lib Dem Opposition transport spokesman Cllr Greg Stone said

"The Labour council leadership boasts of having introduced a new Cabinet position for Transport and Air Quality, but it takes more than a new job title to make progress, and to date, it's done very little.

We know that DEFRA have challenged the city council on the Central Motorway hotspot, but there has been no public statement of intent on whether the council will act on the Clean Air Zone suggestion. We believe it is in the public interest for the council to set out what it proposes to do in response. The Labour administration has already turned down one opportunity to bring in a low emissions zone in the city centre, and is seemingly blaming poor air quality levels on the Tyne Bridge approach on regional through traffic rather than local traffic. It has also suggested that these levels are not a concern given that there is not a large residential population nearby. This seems strange at a time when they are approving more student accommodation blocks alongside the motorway.

Technological change will bring benefits over time, but it takes political leadership to move the agenda forward. The Lib Dems have been calling since 2014 for phasing out of petrol and diesel engines by 2040 and both the UK and France are now adopting this target. We invite the council's Director of Public Health and Head of Transport to back our approach to address the harmful effects of poor air quality on public health by requiring the council to act on HGV and public transport diesel emissions. If we don't start this process now, tougher restrictions will be harder to avoid in future."

As Labour boast about two green flags for parks in Newcastle, the reality is an 80% decline in this prestigious mark of excellence since they took over from Liberal Democrats.

Across the City litter bins are going unemptied as Labour sneaks in its litter bins plans - slashing the number available from 2100 to 800. They won't even tell Councillors which ones will go, where the expensive new bigger ones will be installed. Our fair city is being turned into Labour's filthy one. It's time for a new broom!