East Pilgrim Street Transportation Analysis - Newcastle City Council

EAST PILGRIM STREET 

REGENERATION OPPORTUNITY AREA 

Transportation Analysis 

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East Pilgrim Street Transport Analysis Page 1

East Pilgrim Street - Regeneration Opportunity Area 

Transportation Analysis - November 2007 

Part 1: Context............................................................................................................... 3 

1.1 Introduction ................................................................................................ 3 

1.2 Regeneration Opportunity Area ................................................................. 3 

Part 2: Analysis ............................................................................................................. 4 

2.1 Connectivity ............................................................................................... 4 

2.2 Pedestrian movement ................................................................................ 6 

2.3 Bus Routes................................................................................................. 8 

2.4 Cycling ..................................................................................................... 12 

2.5 Servicing .................................................................................................. 17 

2.6 Parking ..................................................................................................... 20 

2.7 General traffic .......................................................................................... 22 

2.8 Streets and Spaces .................................................................................. 22 

2.9 Swan House Roundabout ........................................................................ 24 

2.10 Open Space ............................................................................................. 27 

Part 3: Conclusions .................................................................................................... 28 

3.1 Conclusions and development principles ................................................ 28 

Appendices ................................................................................................................. 31 

Appendix 1 Potential Bus Routes ............................................................... 32 

Appendix 1a Pilgrim Street northbound ........................................................ 33 

Appendix 1b Pilgrim Street (north) ................................................................ 34 

Appendix 1c New Bridge Street .................................................................... 35 

Appendix 1d Blackett Street, New Bridge Street and Pilgrim Street (north) .. 36 

Appendix 1e Blackett Street, New Bridge Street, Pilgrim Street (north) 

and John Dobson Street .......................................................... 37 

Appendix 2 Radical Options for Reconfiguring Swan House Roundabout . 38 

Appendix 2a Radical Option with Mosley Street extended ........................... 39 

Appendix 2b Radical option south side two way north side removed ........... 40 

Appendix 3 Glossary ................................................................................... 41 

Figure 1 

Figure 2 

Figure 3 

Figure 4 

Figure 5 

Figure 6 

Figure 7 

Figure 8 

Existing Bus Routes ................................................................... 9 

Existing Cycle Routes .............................................................. 14 

Barriers to Cycling ................................................................... 15 

Possible Cycle Routes into and through the Area ................... 16 

The Do Minimum Servicing Strategy ........................................ 18 

Maximum Basement Type Servicing ........................................ 19 

Location of Car Parks in or near East Pilgrim Street Area ....... 21 

Proposed Modifications to the Existing Swan House 

Roundabout to Improve Pedestrian and Cycling Access ......... 26 

page 2 

East Pilgrim Street Transport Analysis

Part 1: 

Context 

1.1 Introduction 

This background report is intended to draw together the transportation analysis of the 

Pilgrim Street Regeneration Opportunity Area and to set out the Key Issues in order to 

form a set of development principles. These principles align with those evolving from the 

Urban Design Analysis and Historic Environment analysis. 

Strategy documents such as the Core Strategy, UDP and the LTP share four transportation 

priorities: 

Improving accessibility 

Addressing congestion 

Improving air quality 

Improving road safety 

These priorities form the basis for a 

transportation framework for the East 

Pilgrim Street Regeneration Opportunity 

Area. 

Bus turning movements at Market Street 

There are a number of issues which relate 

to both this area and the wider City Centre that need to be considered alongside these 

priorities. It is acknowledged that Newcastle is a compact city. With this compactness 

comes a perception that it lacks areas of open space that can be used for staging events 

or for the enjoyment of visitors to the city. In addition areas close to the core retail area 

are in decline whilst studies show that there is further capacity for retail growth. 

Newcastle has in the past implemented areas of pedestrian priority and some of these 

have been associated with the most successful retail activity. However, parts of these 

areas are truncated by major bus routes carrying large numbers of buses per hour. These 

issues need to be addressed so that the area becomes better connected, contains open 

space and minimises conflict between 

buses and pedestrians. The existing 

hierarchy of roads and pedestrian routes 

will not be able to facilitate such 

improvements so more creative solutions 

will be required to enable these aspirations 

to be met whilst maintaining a vibrant and 

accessible city centre. 

1.2 Regeneration Opportunity 

Area 

The Pilgrim Street area encompasses a 

variety of different movement patterns and 

Pedestrianised Northumberland Street 


modes of transport, some of which are 

strategic movements such as major bus 

routes and others facilitating access to a 

variety of developments within this area. 

There are also a number of restrictions to 

movement for certain modes such as traffic 

orders restricting turning movements and 

barring access for general traffic. In 

addition there are a number of barriers to 

pedestrian movement which are a result of 

the interventions of the 60’s and 70’s such 

as the high level walkways, the Central 

Swan House roundabout 

Motorway East (CME) and the Swan House 

roundabout. Other later interventions such 

as the creation of John Dobson Street have further severed the area to the east and have 

resulted in the isolation of the Laing Art Gallery and the eastern section of Ellison Place 

and Mea House to the north of the area. The creation of the new campus for Northumbria 

University on the Manors site and the installation of the new footbridge over the motorway 

have started to address some of these issues. However, the benefits that these bring will 

not be maximised unless better connectivity is achieved within the area. There are limited 

and poor quality car parks within the area, although Manors car park is connected by a 

high level walkway to Pilgrim Street. All the roads within the area carry low levels of 

general traffic with some roads such as John Dobson Street and Durant Road having 

capacities far in excess of these flows. These issues are explored under the headings 

below. 

Part 2: 

Analysis 

2.1 Connectivity 

The areas to the east are poorly connected 

to the Pilgrim Street area by high level 

walkways and a footbridge. The new 

footbridge from the Northumbria University 

site directs pedestrians into Ellison Place 

but there are no easy connections from 

here into the area. In particular Higham 

Place no longer connects to College Street 

which could provide a route from 

Northumbria University and the Civic 

Centre. 

New bridge connection at Northumbria 

University east campus 

Key Issue: 

The connection between College Street and Higham Place 

page 4 


Connectivity to and from Manors area is 

compromised by the existing poor quality 

footbridge contrasts badly with the new 5+ 

metre wide footbridge to the Northumbria 

University campus to the north. 

Existing footbridge from Manors Metro station 

Key Issue: 

The poor footbridge connection between Manors/New 

Bridge Street 

Blackett Street showing bus congestion 

The Blackett Street bus route brings bus passengers into the heart of the city and the 

public realm treatment in that area which allows pedestrians to cross informally along part 

of the route is considered an example of best practice. However, Blackett Street itself 

suffers from a higher than average number of bus/pedestrian accidents relative to the rest 

of the city, which may be to do with the high number of buses and passengers within the 

area. There are no clearly defined east-west cardinal routes within the City Centre 

although the north/south route through Northumberland Street and Grey Street is well 

established. New Bridge Street could form part of this route but it is heavily congested 

with buses and narrow footways with bus stops compromising pedestrian facilities. 

Key Issue: 

Bus congestion along the east/west cardinal route 

Poor pedestrian connections at Swan House roundabout 


2.2 Pedestrian movement 

The area is well connected to the city’s 

pedestrian network from the north via 

Northumberland and John Dobson Street, 

from the west via Blackett Street, Market 

Street and the various other cross streets 

and from the south via Pilgrim Street. 

However, the area to the north east 

containing the new Northumbria University 

Campus East, New Bridge Street, Manors 

Metro Station, the Metropole Business park 

and the Quayside have very tenuous 

pedestrian connections often involving 

walkways and subways. 

Northumberland Street 

Pedestrian movement within the area is constrained by the current allocation of road 

space. With the exception of the Blue Carpet and walkways all pedestrian movement is 

confined to footways with regulated crossing points. The Northumberland Street 

pedestrian priority area abuts the Pilgrim Street area, as does the Blackett Street / 

Monument pedestrian priority / shared bus route area. These types of treatments are felt 

to enhance retail areas and there is an aspiration to increase pedestrian priority areas 

within the City Centre. 

There are three main issues for pedestrian provision within the study area: 

 

 

 

Is there sufficient footway widths along streets to accommodate the demands made 

of them? 

Has severance been minimised at junctions and key crossing points? 

Is there a desire to provide exclusive pedestrian provision in streets or spaces for 

civic/urban design reasons? 

Sufficient footway widths allow free pedestrian movement with uninterrupted bus operation 

and contribute to maintaining a high quality of public realm. In addition ‘congestion at bus 

stops’ has been identified as a problem in the Elders Council report 1 on the City centre. 

An analysis of current footway widths within the area using surveyed flows set against the 

required widths to allow both pedestrians and bus boarding and alighting has been carried 

out. It shows that Market Street should have 4.5m footways on both sides, New Bridge 

Street should have 6.0m footways on both sides and Pilgrim Street north should have 

footways between 3m – 4.5m both sides. This analysis whilst based on existing flows 

helps to set out a framework for the are in relation to accommodating pedestrian 

movement. 

Key Issue: 

Congested footpaths with bus stops 

1 

An Older Person Friendly City Centre. Report from the Elders Council working group. Dec 2006 

page 6 


The major cause of delay to pedestrians is 

the need to cross streets, especially at 

junctions. At the junction of Blackett Street, 

Northumberland Street and Pilgrim Street, 

even with a pedestrian phase incorporated 

into the junction design, there can be a 

delay of between 40 – 80 seconds. This 

becomes worse at locations such as John 

Dobson Street where two stage crossing is 

necessary with delays of over one minute. 

Delays not only cause severance but can 

be a cause of accidents as pedestrians 

Pedestrian crossing at the Blue Carpet 

attempt to cross against the signals. The 

issue of signalised crossings has also been 

raised in the report by the Elders Council which states that ‘pedestrian crossing times 

within the city centre are a cause for anxiety’. Some of this anxiety may be based on a 

misunderstanding of the amount of time that is actually available to cross but never the 

less mobility issues mean that long periods standing stationary can be difficult. The use of 

stairs / subways / walkways also can be 

said to cause severance. This is 

particularly relevant in the area of the Swan 

House roundabout where connections from 

the Pilgrim Street area to the Quayside are 

compromised by poor quality subways. 

This is dealt with in a separate paragraph. 

The removal of severance should be at the 

core of any masterplan as movement (By 

Design – DETR/CABE) is one of the seven 

key urban design elements. This is 

covered in more detail in the urban Design 

analysis. 

Subway at Swan House 

Key Issue: 

Delays for pedestrians at junctions 

Poor quality connections including walkways & subways 

There is limited pedestrian priority within the area at present which is unconnected to the 

wider pedestrian network. Pedestrian priority reduces severance but it can also create 

difficulties for cyclists, service traffic, and bus routes. The creation of high quality 

pedestrian priority civic spaces will depend on achieving satisfactory alternative routes for 

existing vehicular traffic and may have wider area impacts. 

Key Issue: 

The balance between pedestrian priority and other forms 

of movement 


An analysis of the potential for such re-routing is contained within the following section. 

2.3 Bus routes 

Buses are currently routed around the main 

development blocks within the area and 

bus turning movements at junctions create 

difficulties for pedestrians to cross. There 

are 390 buses per hour entering the city 

and of these 239 per hour enter the Pilgrim 

Street area, 120 as part of a through route. 

There are 49 services of which 29 are 

through services. The existing two-way bus 

flows through the key streets in the area 

are shown in Figure 1. 

Bus turning from New Bridge Street to Pilgrim 

Street 

Over 49,000 passengers a day travel into the city centre by bus of which at least 10% are 

through passengers. This is in excess of the approximately 30,000 passengers that use 

the metro of which nearly 11,500 use Monument metro station. 

There are 14 bus stops in the area (Figure 1). Most bus services utilise one stop within 

the Pilgrim Street area, however Gateshead terminating services typically use two stops, 

alighting in John Dobson Street and boarding in Pilgrim Street south. 

The city experiences competing demands between pedestrians/ buses/ taxis and delivery 

vehicles and it is the allocation of space between these demands, which will increase with 

development, which will determine a framework for development. 

Five issues have been identified: 

1) Street space / severance 

At present some of the City’s streets have inadequate footways for the demands put upon 

them. This has been outlined in the section on pedestrians. Bus streets with two-way 

running require four lane carriageways with additional space for bus stops and this in 

places results in sub standard footways for the number of pedestrians using them. In 

addition bus turning movements at junctions add to the severance. Buses also cause 

visual intrusion, noise and emissions and records show that Blackett Street and Grainger 

Street have the highest rates in the City Centre for bus /pedestrian accidents. 

Key Issue: 

Footway widths for bus stops to free movement of 

pedestrians boarding and alighting 

Bus timing movements at junctions causing severence 

page 8 


© Crown Copyright Reserved 

Figure 1: Existing Bus Routes 


2) Kerb length available for buses 

At present the existing bus streets are intensively used and any re routing of buses may 

increase pressure on existing bus stops. Possible solutions include: 

 

 

 

 

Increased utilisation of existing bus stops (difficult) 

Utilisation of loading spaces for bus stops 

Reduction in the number of times buses stop 

Reduction in the number of buses in the City Centre 

Key Issue: 

The provision of adequate space for bus stops 

3) Accessibility 

Newcastle enjoys a high level of bus accessibility and interchange at the Monument. Rerouting 

may decrease this accessibility for some services and create an interchange 

penalty. Accessibility is also affected by road and junction design which makes certain 

walking routes difficult. The redevelopment of the area will change the location of the retail 

centre impacting on existing accessibility. Premium walking routes from facilities on the 

fringe to the centre may be acceptable. 

Key Issue: 

The extent of pedestrian priority in the core retail area 

4) Costs 

Any re-routing which increases distance will increase costs of running particular services. 

Infrastructure costs such as new bus stops will add to this. 

Key Issue: 

The costs of re-routing buses 

5) Number of buses 

There are a large number of buses entering the city not fully occupied. Restructuring of 

services might help to reduce this number. 

Key Issue: 

The rationalisation of bus services 

page 10 


Options for bus options 

Options for bus operation within the area have been identified to address the above 

issues. These range from the status quo to maximising space for pedestrians. Some 

options keep buses running within Blackett Street whilst others remove buses from this 

location. These are contained in Appendix 1 

Key Assumptions 

Some key assumptions have been made in order to test out options and these are 

outlined below: 

1) Key north/south and east/west services will be allowed to cross the city but on 

altered routes. 

2) Gateshead services will use Pilgrim Street from Market Street to access the Tyne 

Bridge. 

3) Use of Tyne Bridge for southbound services is maintained. 

Minimum bus provision 

In order that viable routing is maintained a number of ‘fixes’ have been identified. 

a) Pilgrim Street south must have buses southbound 

b) Market Street east of Pilgrim Street must have buses westbound 

c) Either New Bridge Street or Market Street east of Pilgrim Street must have eastbound 

buses 

d) There has to be a southbound and northbound connection for buses between John 

Dobson Street at Durant Road and Market Street 

e) It is assumed that only essential traffic 

will be allowed on bus routes 

The removal of some bus routes such as 

Blackett Street will also remove buses from 

the northern part of Pilgrim Street and New 

Bridge Street West. This will put additional 

buses on Market Street and John Dobson 

Street with additional bus stops being 

required. There may also be an option of 

removing buses from John Dobson Street 

so that buses run from Market Street 

around the outside of the area to rejoin 

John Dobson Street as Durant Road. Relocating 

bus routes will therefore increase 

Eldon Square bus station 


the potential for the creation of large areas of open space incorporating pedestrian 

priority. The extent of this public space depends on which solution is favoured for bus 

routing. Some solutions such as keeping a north/south bus link in the John Dobson Street 

area will create a public realm that is divided by one-way bus routes. 

Any re-routing of buses will have impacts on the wider city which will need to be fully 

assessed. It is likely that these may include bus facilities such as new bus stations or bus 

shelters but they may also involve wider footways as outlined above so that boarding and 

alighting can take place without impacting on pedestrian routes. Removing buses from the 

heart of the retail area will need to be compensated for by very high quality pedestrian 

routes from the bus stops into the existing and new development. The development of the 

area and the possible location of a new department store and associated retail will alter 

the desire lines for bus passengers and existing facilities may not be best placed to 

accommodate them. 

Key Issue: 

The impact on the wider city of the removal of buses from 

Blackett Street/New Bridge Street west/John Dobson 

Street south/Pilgrim Street north 

The relationship between the removal of buses from 

Blackett Street and the creation of high quality public 

realm 

The location of bus stops in relation to new development 

2.4 Cycling 

Cycling is a highly sustainable mode of travel that is encouraged by local and national 

policies. At present there are limited cross city routes for cyclists and the redevelopment 

of the Pilgrim Street area is an opportunity to address this shortfall. Existing provision for 

cyclists is shown in Figure 2 but here are no cycle parking facilities within the Pilgrim 

Street area. See Figure 2 

In developing a masterplan a cycle network should be provided which is based on the 

following principles: 

 

 

 

 

 

Coherence 

Directness 

Attractiveness 

Safety 

Comfort 

page 12 


There are a number of constraints to providing improved cycle facilities within the area 

(Figure 3). The Central Motorway East, the footbridge from Manors Metro station, the 

Swan House and the New Bridge Street roundabouts as well as the pedestrianisation of 

Northumberland Street and the topography of the southern area create physical barriers 

but there are also a number of safety issues for cyclists on roads with a high volume of 

traffic including buses. The redevelopment of the area will involve intensive land usage 

where space will be at a premium. It is therefore unlikely that segregated cycle routes will 

be viable. (See Figure 3) 

It is considered that cycling should come after buses in the hierarchy of modes given the 

importance of buses in serving the City Centre. However, the creation of enhanced ‘nocar’ 

provision would benefit cyclists. 

The interaction between cyclists and pedestrians in heavily used pedestrian areas will be 

a key determinant as to how cycle routes will be achieved. The present system where 

cyclists have to dismount and push their bicycle for considerable distances is considered 

unacceptable as a general principle. Routes need to either avoid such areas or measures 

to calm cycling speeds need to be incorporated. 

Key Issue: 

The interaction between pedestrians and cyclists 

Possible cycling routes into and through the area are shown in Figure 4. The southern 

routes require some reconfiguration of the Swan House roundabout and this is dealt with 

in a separate chapter. The eastern routes require an improved bridge across the 

motorway or signalised crossing of the slip roads. (See Figure 4). An assessment of 

these routes concludes that: 

 

 

 

 

For the south only one route is recommended using Pilgrim Street and a ‘calmed’ 

Swan House 

For the west Blackett Street is the preferred option but there may be adverse impacts 

for pedestrians 

For the north John Dobson Street and Higham Place are the preferred routes. This 

also could have adverse impacts on pedestrians 

For the north-east only one route is recommended crossing Durant Road at a Tucan 

crossing and using Ellison Place 

Cycle parking has not yet been considered as the scale and location will depend on the 

final masterplan configuration and uses. The current lack of provision will be addressed 

by a combination of on-street public provision and off-street secure provision as part of 

Travel Plans produced for the developments. 



Figure 2: Existing Cycle Routes 

page 14 



Figure 3: Barriers to Cycling 



Figure 4: Possible Cycle Routes Into and Through the Area 

page 16 


2.5 Servicing 

All developments within the area will require servicing. The exact nature of these 

requirements will depend on the size and use of particular developments. Department 

stores, those selling bulky goods and ‘anchor’ stores are likely to be served by articulated 

vehicles up to 16.5m long who will wish to reverse into loading platforms. These will 

inevitable mean the provision of a service yard. 

There are four basic types of servicing that can be provided in the area.: 

1) At grade service yard 

2) Basement service yard 

3) On-street servicing, standard road with loading permitted at all times. 

4) On-street servicing, pedestrian priority road with loading restricted to certain hours 

Taking the area as a series of blocks and testing the two extremes of servicing it can be 

seem that the ‘do minimum’ scenario (3 and 4) would really only be suitable for the 

existing retail activity as it is not suitable for the northern block due to the constraints on 

street frontages for bus stops and the conflict with pedestrianised areas (See Figure 5). 

Type 1 or 2 service areas would be suitable for the northern block the final decision being 

likely to be made on economic grounds (See Figure 6). 

If a decision was made City wide to promote a consolidated servicing strategy this would 

impact on the size and location of service areas. 

Type 2 servicing is not suitable for the southern block because of the ramping issue and 

listed buildings constraint. Type 1 servicing is suitable for the southern block providing 

that it is restricted to smaller delivery vehicles. Type 4 servicing from Market Street to the 

Southern block is not suitable due to bus stops and pedestrian space. 

There is a variation of Type 2 servicing which links two or more underground service 

yards together. This may be feasible for the area. It is likely that the final solution for the 

area may be a combination of these two scenarios taking into account: 

 

The location of access roads 

 

The location of Anchor Stores 

 

Size of blocks 

 

Ability of adjacent blocks to be linked underground 



Figure 5: The Do Minimum Servicing Strategy 

page 18 



Figure 6: The Maximum Basement Type Servicing 


Key Issue: 

Freight consolidation as part of a servicing strategy 

The use of at-grade or basement servicing or a 

combination of both 

Potential for out of core hours ‘on-street servicing’ 

2.6 Parking 

At present there are three multi storey car parks as well as surface and on-street parking 

within the area providing approximately 1400 spaces. Manors multi storey car park is 

connected to the southern part of the area by a high level walkway but part of this 

walkway is integrated with buildings that need to be demolished. In addition there are 120 

residential spaces contained within 55 Degrees North and accessed from Carliol Square 

and approximately 550 operational parking spaces associated with existing development. 

This operational parking will disappear with development and be replaced by parking 

contained within new car parks. In addition there are a number of car parks adjacent to the 

area (See Figure 7). 

Parking needs to be accommodated within modern, well lit and secure facilities within 

200metres of the main retail area. However it also needs to be located near the main 

distributor roads to minimise traffic penetration into the city centre. The size and exact 

location of these facilities will be determined through the City Centre area action plan and 

the detailed masterplan but they are likely to be on the periphery of the area.. 

Key Issue: 

The number of parking spaces and the location of new 

car parks 

page 20 


© Cities Revealed 2005 

Figure 7: Location of Car Parks In or Near the East Pilgrim Street Area 


2.7 General Traffic 

Traffic levels within the area apart form the Central Motorway East and Swan House 

Roundabout carry low levels of traffic and these have been reducing over the past years. 

Some roads such as Jophn Dobson Streetand Durant Road have capacities far in excess 

of their flows. The majority of traffic is considered to be accessing parking but 

approximately 300 – 500 vehicles in the evening appear to be through traffic. 

There are two identified accident concentrations. One involving vehicles at the exit from 

the New Bridge Street interchange towards Market Street and may be related to junction 

design and geometry. The other accident concentration, which involves pedestrians, is on 

Pilgrim Street between Worswick Street and New Bridge Street. This may be due to the 

combination of pedestrian flows and the complex traffic signal control at junctions which 

involves pedestrians in excessive waiting periods and in some cases requiring two roads 

to be crossed in separate stages. This can lead to pedestrians crossings outside the 

pedestrian phase on the traffic signals. 

Key Issue: 

The excess road capacity on John Dobson Street and 

Durant Road 

Through traffic in the area 

Pedestrian accident risk at junctions 

Reconfiguration of the Market Street / New Bridge Street 

interchange link 

2.8 Streets and Spaces 

Through the analysis of movement to and 

through the area a number of Key Issues 

have been identified which relate to the 

quality of the streets and spaces. The 

urban design analysis highlights the role of 

movement and connections in the creation 

of high quality streets and spaces. It 

identifies a number of areas which, whilst 

facilitating movement, currently cannot be 

considered to be quality spaces or are 

compromised in their roles by severance or 

an imbalance in the allocation of space for 

New Bridge Street showing poor streetscape, 

narrow footways and bus congestion 

different types of movement. The Historic Environment analysis outlines the importance of 

setting for listed buildings and historic monuments and the contribution made to 

streetscape by groupings of certain buildings which, although unlisted, are considered to 

be of merit. Traffic flows within the area are low due to a combination of the traffic restraint 

page 22 


measures in place through various traffic 

orders and the general lack of economic 

activity. Bus traffic dominates certain 

streets which results in bus congestion in 

places as previously outlined. 

There are five major vehicular movement 

corridors within the area, Pilgrim Street and 

John Dobson Street serving north / south 

movement and Market Street, New Bridge 

Street and Durant Road east / west 

movement. All these streets, with the 

John Dobson Street showing excessive capacity 

exception of Durant Road, accommodate 

bus routes with associated bus stops. The 

contribution of these streets to the Townscape has been analysed in the urban design and 

historic environment papers and a series of options has been outlined above on bus 

routes. In addition the width of pavement required to accommodate projected pedestrian 

flows has been calculated. 

Streets such as Pilgrim Street and Market 

Street, due to their contribution to the 

townscape of the area as highlighted in the 

urban design and historic environment 

analysis, will remain largely in their present 

form but there is potential to create a 

pedestrian priority area in the northern part 

of Pilgrim Street. Market Street could play 

a greater role in the provision of bus 

services to and through the City Centre but 

footway provision would need to be 

enhanced on the northern side to allow 

access for both passengers boarding and 

alighting buses and for pedestrians. 

Market Street with narrow footways 

New Bridge Street currently suffers from inadequate footways with pedestrians and bus 

passengers competing for space. The streetscape is of poor quality as a result and the 

southern frontage is lacking in part through the entrance to the Dex car park and the gap 

site hoarding. There is also considerable bus congestion as buses wait to enter Blackett 

Street. Calculations on the required footway widths for the expected pedestrian flows 

show that it would be difficult to achieve adequate widths and reduced bus congestion in 

this area. An option showing buses removed from this area has been outlined in the 

section on buses above.John Dobson Street (south) has been constructed as a dual 

carriageway with median strip and is of an excess capacity for current traffic flows and 

inappropriate character for a City Centre and causes severance to the east. This is 

wasteful of valuable space which could be used for development or public realm. There is 

no historic context for the street, and none of the buildings adjacent have a major entrance 

from onto it. An option showing how buses can be removed from this street has been 

outlined above. 


Durant Road has also been constructed as 

a dual carriageway and does not relate to 

any historic street pattern. It is part of the 

link road system from the CME to the City 

Centre and forms a junction with John 

Dobson Street. The excessive width of this 

street has been utilised to provide on-street 

parking but it also means that the 

pedestrian crossing from College Street is 

difficult to negotiate. This road is also of a 

capacity far above what it is required to 

accommodate and provides only minimal 

pedestrian facilities largely for the motorists 

parking on–street. 

Durant Road showing on-street parking and 

excessive capacity 

There are a number of other streets in the area such as Worswick Street, Carliol Street 

and Square, Croft Street, Erick Street, Higham Place and Oxford Street which are mainly 

used as access routes to car parking either private or public. Those with listed or buildings 

of historic merit (as outlined in the Historic Environments analysis) fronting on to them, are 

likely to remain as defined streets. However, Oxford Street is mainly an access route to 

the car park of the same name, has a poor pedestrian environment and does not provide a 

connection to other routes. 

Key Issue: 

The potential to close New Bridge Street, the northern 

section of Pilgrim Street and John Dobson Street (south) 

and Oxford Street to through traffic 

The excessive carriageway widths and inappropriatte 

design of Durant Road and John Dobson Street 

The footway widths in streets serving bus routes 

2.9 Swan House Roundabout 

The Swan House roundabout abuts the southern edge of the area and its junction with 

Pilgrim Street provides the major vehicular access into the area from the south. The 

roundabout has long been considered a barrier to movement from the City Centre to the 

quayside and its network of subways has never been considered an attractive or safe 

environment. Its close proximity to the area means that it will impact on any development 

proposals. 

The Swan House Roundabout provides a vital vehicular function in the city’s road 

hierarchy connecting the east-west Mosely Street corridor with the north-south A167 

motorway corridor. Previously this roundabout suffered congestion for several hours per 

page 24 


day as a result of queues backing up from 

the Tyne Bridge severely affecting bus 

operation. The introduction of a bus gate 

on the roundabout has removed this 

congestion and allowed bus operations, 

including those re-routed from the High 

Level Bridge to be accommodated. 

The improvement for bus operations has 

not been matched by the provision for 

pedestrians and cyclists. It is possible to 

walk around the roundabout at grade on 

Swan House roundabout 

the western and southern side but not to 

the east. Cycle facilities are also non existent which means that cyclists using the Tyne 

Bridge shared-use footways have to come to an abrupt stop as they reach the roundabout. 

This can lead to innappropriate use of the highway. 

The physical form of the roundabout 

facilitates vehicular movement and is of a 

larger capacity than the connecting roads. 

This means that there is significant spare 

capacity and could be reduced in scale 

without detriment to vehicle flows. 

Three approaches to improving the 

roundabout have been tested ranging from 

a modified version of the existing 

roundabout (See Figure 8), a radical 

version extending Mosley Street under 

Swan House and reducing the size of the Cyclist making a contraflow movement against 

roundabout and a reconfiguring of the traffic 

roundabout by closing the northern leg and 

two-way traffic on the south side (Appendix 2). 

The reconfiguration of the roundabout (Figure 8) addresses not only pedestrian 

movements but also provides for cyclists. 

All subway routes are replaced by at-grade pedestrian crossings apart from the link from 

the Holy Jesus Hospital to Cuthbert House which has to remain as a subway due to the 

level differences between it and the surrounding area. As this subway is a short and 

direct route it has the potential to be upgraded through an innovative lighting scheme. 

Cyclists will be facilitated from the Tyne Bridge northwards and to the quayside via Broad 

Chare. 

Key Issue: 

Road space may need to be re-allocted to improve 

pedestrian/cycle access 



Figure 8: Proposed Modifications to the Existing Swan House Roundabout to 

Improve Pedestrian and Cycle Access 

page 26 


2.10 Open Space 

The Blue Carpet is the only area of open space within the area and as mentioned above it 

suffers from poor connections both into it from the east and towards the City Centre to the 

west. The creation of new areas of open space has been an aspiration for the city and it is 

noted that documents such as the Elders Council report on the City Centre 1 highlight the 

lack of spaces but also their contribution to the enjoyment of city centre users. They 

proposed that open space should be ‘available to all citizens, young as well as old, 

who wish to sit or walk around and enjoy legitimate activities in a pleasant green 

space’ In addition the report also adds that seating, pavement cafes and street 

entertainers add to that enjoyment but safety should be of paramount importance. The 

Blue Carpet is adjacent to the Laing Art Gallery and close to the site of the new city library 

but at present it is not fulfilling its potential as a focus for visitors to the city. 

Key Issue: 

Can the creation of open space be prioritised? 

1 

An Older Person Friendly City Centre. Report from the Elders Council working group. Dec 2006 


Part 3: 

Conclusions 

3.1 Conclusions and development principles 

The main transportation issues emerging from the analysis relate to how people move 

around within the area and the quality and convenience of the spaces they will inhabit. 

The area appears isolated due to poor connections from many directions and as a result 

movement through the area is constrained. Major interventions are required to address 

some of these issues and these will form a set of development principles for the area. 

These principles can be broken down into three headings.: 

 

 

 

Connectivity 

Accessibility 

Public Realm 

Connectivity 

It will not be possible to improve connectivity to and within the area without removing the 

existing poor quality walkways and footbridges. These not only provide inadequate 

connections but are a physical barrier to further improvements and development. Key 

principles are: 

 

A new bridge connection between Manors Metro station and the area 

 

The removal of all high level walkways and subways and their replacement with atgrade 

connections through the area including at Swan House roundabout to 

significantly improve the pedestrian environment 

 

The potential to close New Bridge Street / Pilgrim Street (north) and John Dobson 

Street (south) and Oxford Street to through traffic should be explored to create a high 

quality public realm 

 

The simplification of major junctions for vehicle movement 

 

One stage pedestrian crossing at junctions 

 

The maximisation of pedestrian priority in the retail core 

 

Connecting routes for cyclists through the study area 

 

New routes should be created where appropriate to facilitate safe pedestrian 

movement and permeability 

page 28 


Accessibility 

The area is potentially highly accessible but currently only part of it benefits from the 

excellent public transport services to the City Centre. Some bus routes run through the 

area such as those from Gateshead and east / west through routes and the Monument 

Metro Station is a short distance away. Poor connectivity has been highlighted above and 

principles outlined to address this. Improved connectivity into the area will help to make 

the area more accessible but increasing the attractiveness of public transport by 

upgrading facilities and ensuring that bus stops are located close to new development or 

adjacent to a high quality pedestrian route will also play a part. The proposed extension of 

the retail core will mean that current public transport services may not necessarily provide 

optimised accessibility. At present there are poor facilities for the private car with sub 

standard car parks which in places encourage traffic along bus routes which increases 

severance. In the case of Manors car park pedestrian access is by a high level walkway. 

Easy access from the main strategic routes to car parks located as close as possible to 

these routes will improve facilities for motorists. However this improvement needs to be 

matched with improved pedestrian connections to the retail core. This is particularly 

important for services such as Shopmobility. There is currently only one Shopmobility 

location in Newcastle within the Eldon Gardens car park. Redevelopment of this area 

could provide an additional facility for those travelling from the east. 

Access to the area Key Development Principles are: 

Vehicular access to the area should be balanced against improved pedestrian and 

bus priority 

 

Traffic through the area should be limited to essential operations 

 

Bus routing should be reassessed to provide optimised accessibility to the area 

balanced with the creation of high quality public spaces and pedestrian priority 

 

The use of public transport should be encouraged by providing high quality 

pedestrian routes between public transport and the core retail area 

 

Public transport infrastructure should be improved by providing an adequate number 

of bus stops in appropriate locations on footways capable of accommodating the 

predicted pedestrian flows 

 

The potential for a new bus station should be explored 

 

Car parks should be located at the periphery of the area to minimise traffic 

penetration 

 

All parking should be located within new multi storey car parks 


The number of car parking spaces should support both the operational needs of the 

development and the wider area 

 

The provision of a Shopmobility service should be explored 

 

Road space should be re-allocated to improve access for cyclists 

 

A servicing strategy should be designed to minimise the impact on the surrounding 

area and in particular pedestrians 

 

‘Accessibility for All’ should be integral to any reconfiguration of pedestrian routes 

Public Realm 

The area has some high quality streetscape but some of this is in the areas of decline. 

There are few high quality public spaces and those that do exist are compromised by poor 

quality buildings and connections. The redevelopment of this area gives an opportunity to 

create high quality public realm. Public realm development principles are: 

The proposed development should prioritise the creation of public open space 

Streets within the area should be improved to accommodate all the functions they 

are required to serve 

Consideration should be given to the closure of some roads to create public open 

space 

Consideration should be given to the use of underground car parks wrapped by 

buildings. 

page 30 


List of Appendices 

Appendix 1: 

Potential Bus Routes 

1a: Pilgrim Street northbound closed to all traffic 

1b: Pilgrim Street (north) closed to all traffic 

1c: New Bridge Street closed to all traffic 

1d: Blackett Street, New Bridge Street and Pilgrim Street (north) closed 

to all traffic 

1e: Blackett Street, New Bridge Street, Pilgrim Street (north) and John 

Dobson Street closed to all traffic 

Appendix 2 

Radical Options for Reconfiguring Swan House Roundabout 

2a: Radical Option with Mosley Street extended 

2b: Radical Option South Side two way North Side removed 

Appendix 3: 

Glossary 

The maps in this publication are provided by Newcastle City Council under licence from the 

Ordnance Survey in order to fulfil its function as Local Planning Authority. All maps are based 

upon Ordance Survey material with the permission of Ordnance Survey on behalf of the 

Controller of Her Majesty’s Stationery Office © Crown Copyright. Unauthorised reproduction 

infringes Crown copyright and may lead to prosecution or civil proceedings. Newcastle City 

Council, 100019569, 2007 


Appendix 1: Potential Bus Routes 

page 32 



Appendix 1a: 

Pilgrim Street northbound closed to all traffic but buses allowed south 



Appendix 1b: 

Pilgrim Street (north) closed to all traffic 

page 34 



Appendix 1c: 

New Bridge Street closed to all traffic 



Appendix 1d: 

Blackett Street, New Bridge Street, John Dobson Street 

northbound & Pilgrim Street (north) closed to all traffic 

page 36 



Appendix 1e: 

Blackett Street, New Bridge Street, Pilgrim Street 

(north) and John Dobson Street closed to all traffic 


Appendix 2: 

Radical Options for Reconfiguring Swan House Roundabout 

page 38 



Appendix 2a: 

Radical Option with Mosley Street extended 



Appendix 2b: 

Radical Option South Side two Way North Side 

Removed 

page 40 


Appendix 3: 

Glossary 

Accessibility 

The ability of people to move around an area and to reach places and facilities 

Area Action Plan (AAP) 

A type of Development Plan Document focused upon a specific location or an area subject 

to conservation or significant change (for example major regeneration). 

Burgage plots 

A plot of land longer than it is wide which can include structures on it. They are typical of 

medieval towns 

Connectivity 

The extent to which places, spaces and routes are joined together or united. 

Core Strategy 

The Core Strategy sets out key elements of the planning framework for an area. It 

contains a spatial vision, strategic objectives for the area, core policies and a clear 

monitoring and implementation framework. 

Development 

Includes new buildings, alterations and extensions, change in use of land or buildings and 

displaying advertising signs. Also includes operations such as tipping, mining and earth 

moving. 

Development Plan Document (DPD) 

DPDs are Local Development Documents that have development plan status. Once 

adopted, development control decisions must be made in accordance with them unless 

material considerations indicate otherwise. The DPDs which local planning authorities 

must prepare, include the core strategy, site-specific allocations of land and, where 

needed, area action plans. There will also be a proposals map, which illustrates the 

spatial extent of policies that must be prepared and maintained to accompany all DPDs. 

All DPDs must be subject to rigorous procedures of community involvement, consultation 

and independent examination, and adopted after receipt of the inspector’s binding report. 

Gateway 

Sites marking the arrival at the AAP area and/or city. Gateways need not necessary be 

formed by landmark buildings or physical gateway structures. Rather innovation and 

creativity in design should be used to create a quality statement of place. 

Legibility 

The degree to which a place can be easily understood and travelled through. 

Local Development Document (LDD) 

These include Development Plan Documents, which will form part of the statutory 


development plan, and Supplementary Planning Documents, which do not form part of the 

statutory development plan. LDDs collectively deliver the spatial planning strategy for the 

local planning authority’s area, and they may be prepared jointly between local planning 

authorities. 

Local Development Framework (LDF) 

The local development framework is a non statutory term used to describe a folder of 

documents, which includes all the local planning authority’s local development documents 

(comprised of development plan documents, which will form part of the statutory 

development plan, and supplementary planning documents). The local development 

framework will also comprise the statement of community involvement, the local 

development scheme and the annual monitoring report. 

Mixed Use 

A development which includes two or more different uses in the overall scheme. 

Permeability 

The degree to which an area has a variety of pleasant, convenient and safe routes 

through it. 

Regional Spatial Strategy (RSS) 

A strategy for how the region should look in the next 15-20 years. It sets out guidance on 

housing, economic development, environment, transport, infrastructure, agriculture, 

minerals and waste and other regional issues. 

Statement of Community Involvement (SCI) 

The SCI sets out standards to be achieved by the local authority in involving the 

community in the preparation, alteration and continuing review of all local development 

documents and development control decisions. 

Supplementary Planning Document (SPD) 

A SPD is a Local Development Document that may cover a range of issues, thematic or 

site specific, and provides further detail of policies and proposals in a ‘parent’ DPD. 

Supplementary Planning Guidance (SPG) 

SPG may cover a range of issues, both thematic and site specific and provide further 

detail of policies and proposals in a Development Plan. SPGs can be saved when linked 

to policy under transitional arrangements. 

Sustainable Development 

Development which meets today’s needs without compromising the ability of future 

generations to meet their own needs 

page 42

East Pilgrim Street Transportation Analysis - Newcastle City Council

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