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

7. Urban Design Audit
7.1 General Environment
The study area is located along the riverside within the area of
Walker in the East End of Newcastle.
Walker has a broadly level topography, with the exception of the
steep slopes of the Tyne gorge that are the key feature of the
study area itself. As the Tyne has been deepened and narrowed
to accommodate shipbuilding, the industrial riverside has a
combination of steep slopes and flat man-made waterside plots.
Industrial growth was shaped by the railways and the river and a
railway once ran along the top of the cliff and the route has now
been adapted to provide part of Hadrian’s Way National Trail, the
off road recreational cycle and pedestrian route, which goes
through the study area.
Walker is predominantly residential, with homogeneous low rise
and low density brick terraces and semis built in the 30s and
50s, with occasional 1960s tower blocks and 1970s precincts of
blocks and terraces. Cleared plots and boarded properties are a
recurrent feature.
The industrial riverside is a compact strip of industrial buildings of
varying quality and very large and visible cranes. The area has no
overall boundary demarcation, but generally occupies the slopes
and riverbanks east of Hadrian’s Way, with the exception of the
central portion of Station Road/ Bath Street where a number of
mixed industrial and trade activities are located in close proximity
to the residential area. The northern boundary is an administrative
one and property one (Newcastle City boundary and limit of
Newcastle City Council freehold ownership), with otherwise no
other physiscal demarcation. The southern boundary is Walker
Park, a traditionally laid out urban park built over disused
shipyards and the only proper park of the East End. The opposite
bank is by and large occupied by the Hebburn New Town
Riverside Park and its sweeping grassed slopes.
The river is quite active at this location: large cargo vessels are
often moored at the public quay; there is movement of people and
goods on the riverbank in the south portion of the area and there
are small leisure boats moored all along the south bank.
There is little mature planting in the whole area, either as
woodlands or street trees. Mixed scrub and lawns are the main
landscape components of the industrial Walker Riverside.
7.2 Approaches and Legibility
Walker Riverside is approached from the city centre via Walker
Road (A186) and from the A19 via Hadrian Road (A187).
From Walker Road:
- The route crosses run down residential areas, with many
cleared sites, boarded properties and vacant shops. The
street itself is relatively wide and featureless (it is however
a prime target for change in the Places for People Master
plan, see Section 3).
- The approach to the study area is marked by the gas
holder past Pottery Bank.
- The arrival into the area is marked by the metal scrap yard
of Station Road. Despite quite good fencing and landscape
edging the scrap yards are very visible, with piles of scrap,
lorry traffic, as well as noise.
- There are no gateways or substantial signage that point
out the Malaya Drive access to the area.
- Once Wincomblee Road is reached the big yellow cranes
of the quay are immediately visible and become a hallmark
for the area.
From Hadrian Road there are two possible routes into the area.
From Neptune Road into Fisher Street:
- The route skirts all the major shipyards of Wallsend to
arrive in front of the A&P Tyne site. It is clearly an
industrial route, at present noticeably quiet.
- The approach to the area is marked by Segedunum and its
visitor tower.
- There is no clear demarcation of the Walker Riverside,
except the City boundary sign and a sharp bent into Fisher
Street. Signage and features mainly relate to Hadrian’s
Way cycle route.
- The forest of cranes marks the arrival, with the pocket of
housing and the playground somewhat at odds with the
area.
From Waverdale Avenue and Welbeck Road:
- The route, past the Wallsend shipyards and Segedunum,
enters the Walker residential neighbourhood, in a location
that has generally better housing than Walker Road.
- There is nothing that marks the arrival at Welbeck Road,
particularly with the Bath Street Workshops so well
screened by planting.
- Past the former railway bridge (Hadrian’s Way), brightly
painted in blue, the cranes of the shipyards and the
Hebburn church spire open up in a sweeping view of the
area.
36 Colin Buchanan