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“An attractive
borough, an inspiring place to be; a place with vitality and plenty
of interest; a place where people want to come and live, bring up
their children, start a business, spend their leisure time; a place
where people are proud of saying ‘this is where I come from’,
where all have access to jobs and where there is a good range of
jobs across the spectrum to match people’s needs”.
Turning these hopes and aspirations into reality for the people
of Newcastle Borough has been identified as a key strand in the
Council’s economic development strategy – Building Prosperity
– which outlines how the area will move forward up to 2010.
Although the strategy acknowledges there are weaknesses in the area,
it also recognises there are many pluses such as Newcastle’s
attractiveness as a market town, a successful university and science
park, good national and regional transport links, an attractive
rural area on the doorstep, a well-developed professional and financial
services sector and a strong interest in town centre living.
And there is a determination in the area that the transformation
required to nurture new industries and employers will continue to
gather pace. Testament to this is the fact that the area is particularly
well-placed to take advantage of the medical technology and healthcare
sector which is the fastest growing in the North Staffordshire economy.
Its growth potential is illustrated by figures which show the market
for bio-tech in the UK is around £9bn and growing at an annual
rate of 30 per cent.
Keele Science Park, together with the wider local economy, has the
potential to share in this growth. In recent years, a new undergraduate
Medical School, with purpose built facilities, and Centre for Primary
Care Research has been developed between Keele University and the
University Hospital of North Staffordshire. About 130 graduates
each year will complete the five-year medical programme.
Added to this, a major £400 million project is under way to
rebuild 80 per cent of the University Hospital of North Staffordshire,
? mile to the south of Newcastle town centre. The hospital has a
revenue budget of about £350 million per year and this will
grow by 30 per cent over the next 10 years.
Although cutting edge technologies are a feather in the area’s
employment cap, there is so much more to the Borough.
Newcastle’s excellent communication links have played a key
role in developing the local economy - its closeness to the M6 and
its central location between Manchester and Birmingham boosted by
the development of the A50 link road which has speeded up access
east to the M1.
These links have resulted in a number of national and international
distribution companies setting up bases in the Borough, with the
Parkhouse Industrial Estate and the Lymedale Business Park popular
locations.
Across the Borough as a whole there are more than 20 business parks
and industrial estates containing companies which range in size
from giant warehouses to one-room workshops.
The Borough has always been a popular residential area, both for
people working locally and for those who commute to larger cities
in the region.
In urban areas, properties range from terraced houses dating from
the 19th century to modern detached and semi-detached homes on newer
estates. Although house prices are higher than in neighbouring Stoke-on-Trent,
they tend to be significantly lower than the national average.
In rural settlements, the Council and other partner organisations
are committed to providing increasing choice for local communities.
Recent moves towards town centre living have been given a boost
with the provision of two excellent apartment style complexes in
Newcastle – No1 London Road and Brunswick Court.
There are more than 60 primary, junior, secondary and special schools
in the Borough, with the vast majority run by Staffordshire County
Council.
Nursery schooling is also available across the Borough, and this
tends to be a mixture of private and public facilities.
Most secondary schools in the Borough do not have a sixth form with
pupils taking ‘A’-levels or alternative courses at Newcastle
College or other local further education centres. The College is
part of the Staffordshire University Regional Federation (SURF)
– a special agreement which provides students with a number
of options to progress through to university courses.
As well as state-funded schools, there are also a number of independent
establishments in the Borough providing education from pre-school
through to ‘A’-levels.
Keele University is established as one of the leading campus universities
in the country and it is aiming to increase student numbers to 10,000
by 2010. .
A 100-acre area of the estate, adjacent to Keele Hall, has been
given conservation status with many architectural and landscape
features dating from the 19th century of regional significance.
Newcastle and neighbouring Stoke-on-Trent already forms one of the
greenest urban areas in the country. In part this is a reflection
of the huge land reclamation programmes of 20 years ago and more,
which are now mature.
In order to raise the quality of the physical environment and improve
the image of North Staffordshire, local partners have devised a
‘Greening for Growth’ programme. This is expected to
contribute not only towards a higher quality of life for local residents,
but also to have a positive impact on inward investment, quality
of employment and tourism – all important economic factors
– hence the term ‘Greening for Growth’.
The total value of projects proposed in the ‘Greening for
Growth’ programme is estimated to be in excess of £20m
over a seven-year period, and will be funded by a number of sources.
One of the key factors which contributes to the quality of life
and pride among residents in the Borough is the commitment to the
Britain in Bloom competition.
Newcastle achieved one of its greatest moments in 2005 when it added
to its numerous regional titles by claiming the ‘small city’
national category and a silver gilt achievement award. The Borough
beat off competition from Norwich, Taunton, Fareham, Horsham and
Bury to win the prestigious honour.
The long list of Britain in Bloom honours grew further last year
when Newcastle won the Heart of England regional award – the
sixth year in a row that we have won a gold medal.
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