Agenda item

To receive a report that provides an update on the delivery of the Authority’s ‘Ambition for North Tyneside’.

Cabinet received a progress report on delivering the overall plan of

‘An Ambition for North Tyneside’ since 2018, and the projects to be delivered in 2023 and beyond.

The report highlighted the level of investment and breadth of Council led regeneration that had taken place within the borough over the past 12 months,  delivering against the Council’s Ambition for North Tyneside.

The report set out the wide range of activity that had been delivered since the last update to Cabinet in Feburary 2022, and provided an overview of work currently being delivered across North Tyneside.  Details of these activities were set out in the report, some of the highlights were set out below:

• In the South West, Hadrians Health centre was now open, it had transformed healthcare services in the area by bringing together local clinicians and a range of community health services in the heart of Wallsend and in May Cabinet adopted the Masterplan for Wallsend that provided a framework for targeted interventions, when funding permits;
• In the North West, feasiblity funding was secured to undertake traffic surveys at Moor Farm roundabout in preparation for developmments at Killingworth Moor Housing Site and future investments at Indigo Park;
• In the North East, the final section of regeneration works to the Northern Promenade were completed in August, further enhancing the quality of the built environment along our Coast; and
• In the South East, work to deliver the North Shields Masterplan was well underway, the Authority demolished the former Co-op building, work on the new Transport Interchange and Civic Square was well underway and work had commenced on the Embankment Walkway linking the town centre with the Fish Quay.

The Authority had allocated £2m per year for five years (2021-26) through its budget setting process. This had enabled the Authoirty to succesfully use this as ‘match funding’ and attract external funding from the North of the Tyne Combined Authority (NTCA), the North East Local Enterprise Partnership, Government and the private sector.  Since 2020 officers had secured over £40m in external match funding to deliver Our Ambition for North Tyneside with details set out within section 1.5 of the report. 

The wider economic impact of the Authority’s combined £50m investment would be considerable.  It would have created significant Gross Development Values as well as levering in complementary private sector investment that would be captured  through the Authority’s on-going benefits realisation analysis. Officers would continue to work with public and private sector partners to identify funding opportunities over the coming months including two revised bids for Levelling Up round 3, enabling the Authority to deliver ‘An Ambition for North Tyneside’. 

Subject to agreement by Cabinet, the next steps would include:

·        Project development including refining delivery plans and funding mix;

·        Options on the major projects moving through appropriate governance;

·        Finalise the Investment Programme based on a £10m budget over 5 years, developing proposals and priorities for post 2025; and

·        Develop an Investment Programme Board (IPB) request for feasibility funding for activities referenced within this report that require some initial investment before works or funding applications can be developed.

In the next 12 months activity would focus on delivering already approved projects and identifying additional funding to deliver the following:

·        Secure funding to upgrade the visitor offer at Segedunum

·        Work with delivery partners and stakeholders to take forward projects adopted within the Wallsend Masterplan

·        Commence the active travel works as part of the Wallsend Town and High Street Programme

·        Agree policy priorities and a plan for the North West

·        Submit Levelling Up round three bids for North Shields and Wallsend

·        Agree policy priorities and a plan for Whitley Bay

·        Draft a funding bid for St Marys

·        Commence work on the Seafront Sustainable Route

An initial breakdown of the proposed funding allocation was set out in section 1.5.8 of the report.  In line with the Authority’s priorities, further work would continue to be undertaken to refine a delivery programme and to profile the spend for each project across the five-year period.  Progress on the Our Ambition Plan shall be monitored by the Deputy Mayor, who had responsibility for regeneration, and regular reports on progress would be reported to Cabinet.  Property related projects would be dealt with via the Strategic Property Group chaired by the Elected Mayor.

Resolved that (1) the progress made in delivering the overall plan since 2018, be noted;

(2) the projects to be delivered in 2023 and beyond, be noted; and

(3) it be agreed that ‘An Ambition for North Tyneside’ would continue to be monitored by the Investment Programme Board and progress reported regularly to Cabinet.