00:00Newcastle and Gateshead could see a major increase in housing under a master plan setting out
00:05ambitions for the future of Central Tyneside. The Strategic Regeneration Framework looks ahead to
00:122050 and proposes the potential for 16,000 new homes, alongside changes to transport links and
00:19public spaces. One of its central aims is to at least double the number of people living in the
00:25urban core. The current population is around 32,000, although the figure includes approximately
00:3218,500 students. The proposed homes could be built on sites including Gateshead Old Town Hall,
00:40the former Brett Oil site, Clasper Village, Forth Yards and land around Malmore and Spillers Quay
00:47in Ouseburn. Newcastle's Deputy Council Leader Mark Mitchell says building more homes in urban
00:53areas is essential if the green belt is to be protected from further development.
00:58There have been long-standing complaints about house building in outlying areas,
01:03including Calliton. But the proposals also raise questions about how the area will grow and who
01:09will benefit. Newcastle Green Party leader Nick Hartley supports greater use of brownfield land
01:15but says investment must be accompanied by sustainable transport and safeguards against existing residents
01:22and businesses being displaced. The ideas include two possible footbridges across the Tyne.
