Work set to begin on North Tyneside’s seafront sustainable route

Work to create an 8k active travel route along the North Tyneside coast is set to begin this autumn.

North Tyneside Council has already secured £3.5m from the third round of the Government’s Active Travel Fund and the council is awaiting confirmation of the remaining funding for the scheme.

Construction of the route will be carried out in three phases, starting in early autumn with phase one between Tynemouth and Longsands.

The scheduling is designed to allow peak summer activity to subside and to minimise disruption. Phase two will extend from St Mary’s to Whitley Bay and a third phase will meet in the middle at Cullercoats by summer 2024.

Two-way traffic flow will be maintained between Whitley Bay and Tynemouth and the council says the route will have benefits for all users; it will resurface the highway and footpaths, improve all crossings, make the seafront route a safer road for everyone, and provide a new segregated cycleway along an 8km stretch from Tynemouth to St Mary’s Lighthouse.

It will improve cycling connections to North Shields town centre and transport hubs and complete the high-quality regeneration of the coast following the delivery of flagship schemes such as Spanish City and the renewal of promenades.

It will also support the council’s efforts to tackle climate change and achieve Carbon Net-Zero by 2030, and will provide more opportunities for walking and cycling, and less reliance on cars for local journeys.  

Councillor Sandra Graham, Cabinet Member for the Environment, said: “Having submitted a strong bid for additional funding in December 2022, we are confident we will secure all the funding that we need from Active Travel England.

“The funding we have already secured for phase one recognises the high calibre of our proposals, and the wide-ranging benefits the scheme will bring for all road users, residents, businesses, and visitors alike.

“The road will be safer and more sustainable with an abundance of new crossings, segregated spaces, and it will continue our coastal regeneration with the same calibre and quality of earlier schemes.

“It builds on our commitment to encourage more sustainable travel and will have a huge positive impact on our public spaces, better access to our coastal attractions, a greener local environment and air quality.

“It’s important to stress that the funding is ringfenced and can only be used for an active travel scheme.

“We are working with our partners now to finalise plans and timetables and we will be telling people more about those plans in the coming weeks.”