Internationally and enshrined within the agreements are that cities, world wide must take the brunt of this change and city dwellers must pay for the privilege of taking the strain. So how will that affect us here in the UK.
For those of us who have an interest in the worlds future, our first example of how things will change is the enforced level of congestion charging that cities must face. London is being used as the prime example of how to de-vehicle a city whilst still enjoying regular growth in commerce and harvesting cash from both the motorist and delivery driver forcing people to engage with public transport to enjoy their centralised work and play.
Former Industrial Cities and large towns in the North of England which have been targeted in the first wave of out of central congestion charging are concerned that their way of life is about to go into steep decline through the potential charging regimes that are not wanted and are unaffordable in areas of lower wages and even lower business profit margins.
Newcastle Gateshead and North Tyneside are faced with charging in the first wave in the North East. Drivers have petitioned their Councils and the administrations have backed off while they think of other methods on handling the problems that beset them and how they retain business when the austerity cuts have slashed their ability to deliver services let alone find the money to invest heavily in public transport, considering they have very little control over that transport without the help of a Government whom history has shown will not invest in the North to anywhere near the same level as it does in the South.
That said, Retail businesses have been very actively looking towards the future and many have been actively investing in peripheral towns sitting just outside city congestion charging boundaries particularly those which have the potential to park an increasing number of vehicles. The building society Nationwide, is one of the companies investing heavily into its property stock outside of city centres. They have followed up their long term thinking and have given a long term promise not to close branches to its members. Other are seriously looking to relocate into the potential growth areas.
The towns currently being eyed up for Town Centre Growth within easy commuting distance from the city are Ashington, Blyth and South Shields. South Shields is first off the stocks through the renovation of its metro station and transport hub. Ashington and Blyth will follow quickly behind with the promise from the North of Tyne Mayor to invest in the reopening of the AB&T Rail Line (which links in with the Metro service) and the fact that Blyth in particular is only a fifteen minute commute from two thirds of North Tyneside along the coast by car and its quicker by express bus from Newcastle to access Blyth than it is to visit South Shields by Metro.
In Northumberland, both Ashington and Blyth now have established partnerships between politicians and commerce with the Duke of Northumberland’s estates leading the way being heavily involved in attracting new business to its shopping centre in the heart of Blyth.
It will be great to see the improvements predicted by Government for East Coast Towns but its only now that we fully realise that growth will come at a cost to cities and heavily populated urban environments.
