2. Submission Document went to cabinet … Planning for the Future Core Strategy and Urban Core Plan (the Plan) is a key planning document and sets out the spatial planning framework to deliver economic prosperity and create lifetime neighbourhoods. It is the central document in Newcastle’s Local Plan and will guide decisions on development until 2030. The Plan was adopted by the Council on 26 th March 2015.

3. Transport Planning Policies The Plan contains eight policies which relate specifically to Transport. Policy CS13 Transport is the strategic policy which covers the entire Newcastle administrative boundary. And there are seven policies which relate specifically to the Urban Core. These are: –UC5 Primary and Secondary Pedestrian Routes –UC6 Cycling –UC7 Public Transport –UC8 Freight and Servicing –UC9 General Traffic –UC 10 Parking –UC11 Gateways and Arrival Points

4. Policy CS13 Transport The transport policies in the plan cover the promotion of sustainable travel and development, our strategic priorities for improvement and detailed policies for specific areas. The Strategic Policy CS13 covers three main areas: promoting alternative travel choices to encourage a modal shift from sole occupancy car use to more sustainable alternatives improving the operation of our transport networks and improving our strategic connections reducing the impacts of development, ensuring developers take full consideration of sustainable travel options.

5. Our transport policies have been developed in order to: make Gateshead and Newcastle accessible to all, achieve a shift to more sustainable modes of travel and promoting alternative travel choices particularly along congested travel corridors, reduce carbon emissions from transport, enhance and protect the transport network to facilitate economic growth, improve the efficiency of our transport networks to manage demand, address capacity issues and get more from our existing infrastructure, and set out expectations in terms of development and how it will plan for the transport needs generated. Our aim is to create sustainable communities, centres and new developments where priority is given to sustainable modes of transport. The hierarchy of sustainable modes of transport is: Walking Cycling Public Transport (including taxis) Freight Car Traffic

6. The Urban Core The challenge in the Urban Core is to develop and manage streets for promoting growth, while also creating a sense of place. The changes will increase priority given to pedestrians and cyclists in parts of the Urban Core and improve the management of vehicular movements to, within and around the Urban Core.

7. Policy UC5 Primary and Secondary Pedestrian Routes Newcastle has a compact and walkable core that is supported by some high quality open spaces that people can enjoy. Policy UC5 identifies a list of routes that form the Primary and Secondary Pedestrian Network. Primary Pedestrian Routes experience the highest footfall levels, link the main transport hubs, the key sites and major attractors. Secondary Pedestrian Routes connect to major attractors and often provide links between Primary Routes, however they experience lower footfall levels. Due to their importance, we will focus improvements on these routes to ensure that they contribute to the creation of an attractive, safe area that is linked better with the destinations people want to access.

9. Policy UC6 recognises that cycling is an important form of transport for the Urban Core and that its promotion can help support a modal shift to more sustainable forms of transport. The policy seeks to prioritise cycling by developing cycling infrastructure through a network of strategic routes and neighbourhood links, and promoting cycle and encouraging cycling among all ages. Policy UC6 Cycling Our aim is to develop a cycling culture where more people of all ages cycle more often in an environment that is easy and safe to get around by bike.

11. Public transport is a vital element of a modern city and maintaining public transport accessibility will be key in supporting the level of development proposed. The challenge will be to improve accessibility while managing bus movements to reduce visual impact, congestion and improve air quality. Policy UC7 Public Transport The intention is to move towards redefining bus movements. In the long term we will refocus routes so they provide good service around and to the edge of the retail area. This will be achieved by the formation of a bus loop. The policy seeks to enhance the bus network by providing a specific route for buses, improving stops, facilities, increasing bus priority and creating bus only links.

13. All premises within the Urban Core require some type of servicing. However servicing and loading requirements can adversely affect experiences of other users of the Urban Core. Policy UC8 Freight and Servicing The impacts of freight movements can adversely affect the operation of public transport, result in increased greenhouse gas emissions and heavy goods vehicles can represent a road safety danger to pedestrians and cyclists even at slow speeds. Policy UC8 seeks to minimise the impact of servicing through Delivery Service Plans. They will be required for major new developments within the Freight Management Area and they will be used to control servicing through measures such as restricting hours for deliveries and requiring the use of more environmentally-friendly delivery vehicles.

15. Policy UC9 General Traffic Major growth is proposed and will inevitably create travel demand. Even with considerable success in pursuing a shift to more sustainable modes, there will still be some traffic travelling to and through the Urban Core. In conjunction with the other Urban Core transport policies, Policy UC9 seeks to balance traffic demands with creating a more efficient and attractive Urban Core environment. Traffic will be managed by focusing the main traffic movements within the Urban Core onto the designated Urban Core Distributor Route (UCDR), re-defining the use of some streets and by minimising traffic flows and speeds. This will significantly enhance the pedestrian and cycling environment with the UCDR.

17. Parking is a significant element of transport policy and the availability or not of parking has a major influence on people’s choice of mode of transport. Policy UC10 Car Parking A balance will be maintained between an appropriate supply of car parking while encouraging travel by sustainable modes. Policy UC10 seeks to minimise car parking within the Urban Core and direct all new car parks that are provided to the edge of the Urban Core or to locations that are close to the Urban Core Distributor Road. The policy also seeks to manage the pricing of new car parks to promote short stay parking over long stay parking and restrict the development of temporary car parks. In general, short stay parking will be promoted for shopping and leisure through the management and pricing in new car parks and longer stay parking will be encouraged on the edge of the Urban Core.

18. The character and appearance of gateways and arrival points have a key influence on perceptions of an area and play an important role in helping travellers to orientate themselves. Emphasising our gateways will add to the sense of arrival in the Urban Core creating positive first impressions and will assist in creating unique and distinctive places. Policy UC11 lists a series of gateways and arrival points that development will be expected to improve and enhance. Policy UC11 Gateways and Arrival Points