Agenda item

The report is presented to Cabinet with an update on the delivery of the Authority’s ‘Ambition for North Tyneside’ which was agreed by Cabinet on 26 November 2018 as a framework for the regeneration of the borough in line with the then ‘Our North Tyneside Plan’.

Cabinet received a report on the delivery of the Authority’s ‘Ambition for North Tyneside’ which was agreed by Cabinet on the 26 November 2018 as a framework for the regeneration of the borough in line with the then ‘Our North Tyneside Plan’.

An update was last provided to the Cabinet in June 2023. Since then, the Deputy Mayor and officers had been working closely with a range of partners to unlock potential and opportunity and progress key projects and activity.

An Ambition for North Tyneside considers the borough as four areas namely;

·        The South West area around Wallsend, including the communities who live in Howdon, Willington Quay, Hadrian Park, High Farm and Battle Hill

·        The North West including Benton and Longbenton, Forest Hall and Killingworth, Dudley, Weetslade, Burradon, Camperdown and Fordley

·        The North East area around Whitley Bay, including Monkseaton and Earsdon, Shiremoor, Backworth and West Allotment; and

·        The South East area around North Shields, including Cullercoats and Tynemouth, Chirton and Percy Main.

The Elected Mayor and Cabinet’s ambitions for the borough were set out in the ‘Our North Tyneside Plan’. Specific commitments had been made and were being met in terms of a thriving, family-friendly, caring, secure and green Borough.

To deliver the ambition and pay for delivery, the Authority had allocated £2m per year for five years (2021-26) through its budget setting process. This had enabled the Authority to use this as ‘match funding’ and attract external funding from the North of the Tyne Combined Authority (NTCA), the North East Local Enterprise Partnership (at the time of their existence), Government and the private sector.

The report explained in more detail progress that had been made on the Elected Mayor and Cabinet’s ambitions for each part of the borough. It set out what had been achieved over the last 12 months, what was currently planned and what would happen next (subject to funding) and what the Authority would do if it could and when it could.

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, developing proposals and priorities for post 2025; and

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

§  Agree the Village plans for the North West, secure funding for and begin delivery on the early priority projects;

§  Secure funding to upgrade the visitor offer at Segedunum;

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

§  Agree policy priorities and a plan for Whitley Bay.

Cabinet considered the following decision options:  Whereas the majority of this report was for information purposes only, Cabinet was requested to agree to recommendation (3) at paragraph 1.2 of the report, or alternatively, to not approve that recommendation.

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

(2) the projects to be delivered in 2024 and beyond, be noted; and

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