Work to begin on transforming Newcastle city centre's Grey Street

Grey Street Perspective Image
A concept image of what Grey Street could look like in the future Credit: Ryder Architecture

Works to transform Newcastle city centre's Grey Street are to begin on Tuesday.

The works will create room for pavement cafes and social distancing, as the city looks to recover economically from the Covid-19 outbreak.

Pavements will be extended into the road and there will be extra space outside of bars, restaurants and cafes. If planning permission is granted this could then be used as outside seating for their customers.

The changes will be the first phase in plans to transform the street into a more people-friendly area with less traffic and safer cycling.

In Autumn, the second phase of the project will involve preparation for winter and include the potential for businesses to install canopies and outdoor heaters to enable pavement cafes to continue operating during the colder months.

Newcastle City Council said it plans to set out the third phase of its plans early next year.

These will include making permanent changes to Grey Street which will be based on the temporary measures being introduced over the next few weeks and months.

Newcastle Grey Street is to be developed over the coming weeks and months Credit: PA Images

The majority of on-street parking bays are to be removed. However, the council said it would keep a limited number available on the east side of the street for use by blue badge holders.

Traffic will also be restricted to only travelling one-way heading southbound and a protected northbound cycle lane will be introduced.

The changes on the street are part of wider measures being put in place throughout the city centre in response to the coronavirus pandemic and the need for social distancing.

Initially changes will be made using temporary materials but this will include a number of planters, with trees and shrubs, and wooden cladding – being produced by a local business – to improve the appearance of any concrete blocks and barriers that may be needed. 

Cllr Arlene Ainsley, cabinet member for transport and air quality, said: “The view down Grey Street is simply stunning and, although we need to use temporary materials at first, we are going to be doing everything we can to ensure the beauty of the street is maintained.

“We’ve been working closely with NE1 and local businesses to ensure that the layout and appearance of the changes we’re making are appropriate and we look forward to seeing businesses being able to use the new space for pavement cafes and outdoor space for their customers.

“We have already seen a series of successful changes to our transport network to enable people to get around safely as the city starts to reopen, including improved opportunities to walk and cycle.

“We have prioritised our main retail areas, including Northumberland Street and Blackett Street, and we are continuing to monitor these measures and make changes in response to feedback to ensure they are working effectively.

“We will be looking at how these short term changes could help us deliver our longer term ambitions for a cleaner and healthier city centre with a greener transport network and reduced pollution.”

Adrian Waddell, chief executive of NE1 Ltd, said: “It is excellent to see the council working collaboratively with businesses and with NE1 to implement these important measures quickly. 

"It is increasingly clear that being able to use outdoor space is hugely important commercially for businesses and will hopefully give greater confidence to the public to return to the city centre to enjoy all the amenities on offer.

“We look forward to seeing how these new arrangements will work on Grey Street and how businesses and the public respond to the new flexible space created.  Because the new arrangements are temporary they can be tried and tested before being made more permanent.

Other recent changes in the city centre have included putting in place social distancing measures on Grainger Street, Market Street, North Pilgrim Street and New Bridge Street.

The city council has liaised with bus companies whose services use these routes in order to finalise the measures.

There is also now a one-way cycle lane on both sides of Queen Victoria Road, travelling in either direction.

The council added that all of the temporary measures would remain under review to ensure they are working effectively and can be altered if necessary.