Plans for North Shields Transport hub submitted

Plans for a new transport hub and walkway linking North Shields’ town centre to the Fish Quay have been submitted.

The proposals are part of North Tyneside Council’s Ambition for North Shields and the Fish Quay Masterplan, aimed at breathing new life into the town centre and riverside and providing the right environment to support businesses, leisure users and retail.

The proposed transport hub will provide a modern facility, bringing all bus services in the town together and closer to Metro, taxis and links to cycling infrastructure – making it easier for people to choose cleaner, greener forms of travel. The proposals also include local amenities such as public toilets and a Changing Places facility.

The site will also feature a new open town square for events and leisure activities with new planting, creating a much-needed green space in the heart of the town centre and increasing biodiversity in an urban environment.

The proposed walkway will represent a vast improvement on the current stepped route with much-improved accessibility and will create a safer link between the improved town centre and vibrant Fish Quay.

It will feature green open spaces and different route options to suit different needs, including step-free routes and steps with handrails, as well as a direct route from top to bottom via steps. Both schemes are subject to a successful funding bid to the Transforming Cities Fund (TCF) through the Department for Transport.

Cllr Carl Johnson, Deputy Mayor of North Tyneside, said: “We are committed to transforming North Shields into somewhere people want to live, work and visit to help sustain the town for years to come.

“We’re now starting to see these ambitions coming to fruition with work getting underway on the ground. These are really exciting times for North Shields and there’s every reason to be optimistic for the future.

“Our investments in the proposed transport hub and town square and embankment walkway are absolutely vital to improving connectivity and helping create a vibrant and sustainable shopping environment, which will help attract new investment in the town.

Cllr Johnson concluded: “We have been sharing our plans with local communities and incorporating their feedback into the designs and will continue to listen to what people tell us as the projects evolve.”