What’s happening on Northumberland Street?

National World - LocalTV

Northumberland Street is undergoing a redevelopment, that will see the iconic street in Newcastle City Centre transformed into a nicer, more accessible, and ecologically improved space. However, the vast amount of works is causing some frustrations for residents.

Transcript

00:00Northumberland Street is one of the most popular shopping streets in Newcastle's city centre,

00:05home to many well-loved high street brands including Newcastle's premier department store, Fennec,

00:10which was of course very popular during the festive period as people flocked to see their amazing window display.

00:17In the 18th century, the area was a suburb of medieval Newcastle featuring three-storey brick houses.

00:24Interestingly, it was originally called Bath Road as the street led to the Northumberland Baths.

00:30The 19th and early 20th centuries saw the emergence of significant retail establishments

00:35including Fennec department store in 1882 and Marks and Spencer in 1932.

00:42The street was originally part of the A1 route but was fully pedestrianised by 1999.

00:48Newcastle City Council is redeveloping Northumberland Street to transform it into a

00:52vibrant modern shopping and leisure destination that reflects its historical significance

00:57and meets contemporary needs. The project aims to enhance the street's appeal,

01:02support local businesses and create a more welcoming environment for both residents and

01:06visitors. The council aims to address the street's ancient infrastructure by replacing outdated

01:12pavements and improving accessibility. This includes removing temporary tarmac patches and

01:17installing new paving, seating, trees, greenery and lighting to create a more elegant and user-friendly

01:23environment. Since July 2024, significant progress has been made on Northumberland Street

01:29including the completion of paving in front of Brunswick Church and substantial sections

01:33outside Fennec. Excavation works from Blackedge Street to Fennec's north entrance have concluded

01:39with paving ongoing. The first section of fencing on the east side has been installed and temporary

01:45work in front of the Monument Mall has also been finished. While lots of work is being carried out,

01:51it's made the street temporarily a pain to walk through due to many sections being closed off

01:57and at some points more difficult to access certain shops and cafes. I spoke with locals

02:02to find out what they think of this redevelopment and of the works currently being carried out.

02:09Well we operate every day to come to uni and it's not easy to access. It's so loud and it's just

02:15no um I'll let you speak if you know it's really compact so I come from Leeds so obviously a lot

02:21of places have their high street and I was at Brigate Street and I know it um but it's bigger

02:28so more people can pass but because so many people actually pass here day by day

02:32the completion of the roadworks is so disturbing and everything so just the flow the natural flow

02:40of everything's but yeah it just completely like congests the street even trying to get in the shops

02:45you have to like go around everything it's not it's just not it. I don't know what's going on it

02:52is kind of annoying because there's ways it's always too busy there there's always something

02:57going on down there there was a girl having a seizure the other day.

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