Northumberland Street is undergoing a redevelopment, that will see the iconic street in Newcastle City Centre transformed into a nicer, more accessible, and ecologically improved space. However, the vast amount of works is causing some frustrations for residents.
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00:00Northumberland Street is one of the most popular shopping streets in Newcastle's city centre,
00:05home to many well-loved high street brands including Newcastle's premier department store, Fennec,
00:10which was of course very popular during the festive period as people flocked to see their amazing window display.
00:17In the 18th century, the area was a suburb of medieval Newcastle featuring three-storey brick houses.
00:24Interestingly, it was originally called Bath Road as the street led to the Northumberland Baths.
00:30The 19th and early 20th centuries saw the emergence of significant retail establishments
00:35including Fennec department store in 1882 and Marks and Spencer in 1932.
00:42The street was originally part of the A1 route but was fully pedestrianised by 1999.
00:48Newcastle City Council is redeveloping Northumberland Street to transform it into a
00:52vibrant modern shopping and leisure destination that reflects its historical significance
00:57and meets contemporary needs. The project aims to enhance the street's appeal,
01:02support local businesses and create a more welcoming environment for both residents and
01:06visitors. The council aims to address the street's ancient infrastructure by replacing outdated
01:12pavements and improving accessibility. This includes removing temporary tarmac patches and
01:17installing new paving, seating, trees, greenery and lighting to create a more elegant and user-friendly
01:23environment. Since July 2024, significant progress has been made on Northumberland Street
01:29including the completion of paving in front of Brunswick Church and substantial sections
01:33outside Fennec. Excavation works from Blackedge Street to Fennec's north entrance have concluded
01:39with paving ongoing. The first section of fencing on the east side has been installed and temporary
01:45work in front of the Monument Mall has also been finished. While lots of work is being carried out,
01:51it's made the street temporarily a pain to walk through due to many sections being closed off
01:57and at some points more difficult to access certain shops and cafes. I spoke with locals
02:02to find out what they think of this redevelopment and of the works currently being carried out.
02:09Well we operate every day to come to uni and it's not easy to access. It's so loud and it's just
02:15no um I'll let you speak if you know it's really compact so I come from Leeds so obviously a lot
02:21of places have their high street and I was at Brigate Street and I know it um but it's bigger
02:28so more people can pass but because so many people actually pass here day by day
02:32the completion of the roadworks is so disturbing and everything so just the flow the natural flow
02:40of everything's but yeah it just completely like congests the street even trying to get in the shops
02:45you have to like go around everything it's not it's just not it. I don't know what's going on it
02:52is kind of annoying because there's ways it's always too busy there there's always something
02:57going on down there there was a girl having a seizure the other day.