Feasibility Study for the Industrial Area - Part 1 (PDF 5 MB)

Housing Strategy
Housing provision for the North East Region is set at 6,505
dwellings per annum for the period 2004-2021 which corresponds
to the provision of 790 dwellings per annum for Newcastle (350 in
the previous strategy). New housing and improvements to
existing stock is required to meet aspirations for better housing
and to attract high skilled entrepreneurials. The increase
provision will provide for improvement or replacement of dwellings
concurrently with increasing dwelling stock which has been
influenced by Housing Market Restructuring and economic,
demographic and housing model projections.
Specific Policy
The following policies are pertinent to the Walker Riverside Area
and its development:
Employment
- Policy 15 regarding sustainable economic development
promotes the majority of new economic development and
investment in the main towns of the Tyne and Wear and
Tees valley city region. Economic development proposal
should prioritise the renewal and reuse of previously
development land and buildings within towns and city
centres and established industrial and commercial
estates.
Environment
- Policy 13 designates Hadrian’s Wall as a World Heritage
Site. Plans and strategies should incorporate the
principles of the Hadrian’s Wall Management Plan and
seek to maintain and enhance the quality, diversity and
local distinctiveness of landscape character and seek to
preserve in situ, Scheduled Ancient Monuments.
- Policy 36 seeks to conserve and enhance the historic
environment of the region.
- Policy 37 states that strategies, plans and programmes
should ensure the region’s ecological and geological
resources are protected and enhanced to return key
biodiversity levels to viable levels.
- Policy 38 states that strategies, plans and programmes
should ensure that any development along river corridors
takes account of pollution, flooding and climate change
and the necessary mitigation measures incorporated into
schemes.
Energy
- Policy 43 on planning for renewable energy states that
development plans and other strategies should support and
encourage renewable energy proposals and identify
resources.
5.1.3Regional Economic Strategy (2002)
The Regional Economic Strategy (RES) for the North East was
published in 2000 by One NorthEast - the Regional Development
Agency. The RES identifies the need to develop a knowledge
based economy, raise aspirations, develop a skilled workforce,
build an enterprise culture and raise employment rates.
The strategy identifies six interlinked strategic objectives, which
are as follows:
- Create wealth and raising productivity of all businesses
and to support the success of globally competitive
clusters.
- Establishing a new entrepreneurial culture to strengthen
wealth creating capacity. The strategy aims to encourage
new firms by creating an integrated business support unit.
- Creating a healthy labour market, supported by a skilled
workforce by improving basic skills of adults and raising
young peoples achievement level.
- Recognising universities and colleges are at the heart of
the region’s economy. It is anticipated that research and
technology will be strengthened.
- Meet twenty-first century transport, communication and
property needs to meet expectations of global companies
and to make sites attractive to new companies.
- Realising the renaissance of rural and urban communities.
One of the key priorities of the strategy is to develop key
business clusters and collaborative networks. This is linked to
the region’s research and development strengths fostered in the
universities and individual firms. It defines ‘clusters’ as a
concentration of competing, collaborating or independent
companies or institutions connected to one another by market or
non-market links. This approach links learning and employment
opportunities together with the possibility of improved
environments and accessibility.
Clusters that are being promoted in the region include
automotive, base chemicals, bioscience, clothing and textiles,
creative industries, defence and precision engineering, digital,
electronics, environmental industries, food and drink,
nanotechnology, offshore, pharmaceuticals and speciality
chemicals and tourism. With regards to offshore clusters, a
business plan is in hand and is being developed in the context of
the new Renewable Energy Centre of Excellence, in Blyth,
Northumberland. The region is working with research and
development specialists in Michigan State and in Denmark to
provide research into wind turbine development. The strategy
also identifies the Shell Bonga project which is a contract to refit
the Hull of Bonga (floating production and storage vessel for the
Nigerian offshore oil and gas industry) at the AMEC yard in
Wallsend, Newcastle. AMEC, in conjunction with One NorthEast,
the DTI and Trade Partners UK are creating a national visitor
centre that will identify the national and regional strengths of the
offshore industry.
22 Colin Buchanan