Our vision for the West of the city
We want the West End to be a family friendly district of Newcastle where people choose to live, that is safe, has good housing and a good quality environment, with access to good schools, services and economic opportunities. By 2030, Scotswood will be transformed into a successful urban village. Benwell will be a vibrant district centre and successful new inner suburb. Newcastle city centre will expand west into ‘Science Central’, mixing research, offices and apartments, benefiting the west end in general, and Elswick in particular. The West will be well connected to the city centre by rapid and affordable public transport links. It will be a location of choice for high-value businesses in areas such as Science Central, Newcastle Business Park, Newburn Riverside, and Loadman Street. We will reduce worklessness through targeted investment and making local job opportunities accessible to local people.
The West – key issues and challenges
Elswick
- High concentrations of worklessness despite a reduction in unemployment in the area since 2001
- Low home ownership, very little modern family housing, low housing demand
- and house prices and high housing turnover
- All but one of the neighbourhoods are ranked as the most deprived 10% in the country.
Benwell & Scotswood
- A high proportion of those of working age are without employment
- Declining population and a high population turnover
- Areas of social housing are in poor condition
- Relatively lower house prices, higher long term housing vacancies and a higher proportion of property turnover
- Four of the West End’s neighbourhoods are in the 20% most deprived.
Area Programme Director
Martin Walker
Programme Manager
Karen Kilgour