Issue - meetings

To receive an update on the Tour of Britain 2019 cycle event and preparations for activities in North Tyneside.

The Sub-Committee received a report introducing the 2019 Tour of Britain 2019 cycle event and the preparations for activities in North Tyneside. 

Mr Gary Campbell, Head of Delivery, North of Tyne Combined Authority (NTCA), and

Mr Nigel Walsh, Event Director, Northumberland County Council, presented an overview of Stage three of the 2019 OVO Energy Tour of Britain cycle event including an assessment of the likely impact upon and benefits for North Tyneside.  

The Tour of Britain event was the UK’s largest professional cycle race, televised in 166 countries and broadcasted live on the ITV network.  The tour would take place between the 7 and 14 September 2019, a total of eight stages over eight days.  The race consisted of 120 cyclists and an entourage of 120 vehicles.

On Monday, 9 September, Stage three of the 2019 Tour of Britain was to be hosted by NTCA and would link Northumberland, North Tyneside and Newcastle Upon Tyne.  The world’s top riders and teams contesting a 114-mile route starting from the centre of Berwick-upon-Tweed, would head through Ford, Wooler, Whitley Bay, Tynemouth, North Shields and Wallsend before finishing in Newcastle city centre.

A Multi Agency Steering Group, under the auspices of Culture Creative, who had organised Tour of Britain events in 2015 and 2017, was meeting every two weeks and involved representatives from Northumberland, North Tyneside and Newcastle local authorities, as well as the emergency services and transport providers. 

Governance arrangements were in place to cover Operations and Traffic Management, Race Management, Community Engagement, Health and Wellbeing Legacy and Marketing and Communications.  A Joint Authority Safety Advisory Group had been established.  A North Tyneside Steering Group, chaired through Cultural Services, had also been established to co-ordinate activities in the borough. 

A pack had been delivered to schools across all three Council areas to encourage engagement and ensure massive public participation when the race passes through local communities.  In total 38 schools from North Tyneside, from over 120 responses across the NTCA area had expressed an interest in being involved.  Schools would be provided with safe standing places to view the race; a full race timetable; and guaranteed parking for schools requiring minibus or coach parking to participate.

There was also an opportunity for schools to engage in a day with the Tour of Britain, an activity day on the route at a location away from school.  In North Tyneside activities which were part of the Summer of Cycling would also promote the Tour of Britain 2019.

Following its success in 2018, the Tour organisers were holding a Land Art competition, which would cover the whole route from Glasgow to Manchester, to find the best piece of land art.  Community groups, schools, businesses and land owners across the route would be encouraged to take part. In North Tyneside there had already been over 3000 responses.

In terms of the stage 3 event timetable, the race was scheduled to leave Berwick at 11:00 and arrive into Whitley Bay from Seaton Sluice at 15:05.  It would  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5