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The Development of Green Fields and Housing Demolition in Newcastle and North Tyneside
The video is a warning is about serious flooding; flooding which will be exacerbated if there is further house building.
Property development will damage a vital public amenity at Murton Gap; a large green area which feels semi-rural. The public could lose a vital environmental resource which is fundamental to their quality of life. It is the quality of the physical environment which sets Tyneside apart from London. If Tyneside's environment is degraded then it may struggle to retain some of its population.
It is also a concern that the development of housing could lead to an oversupply of properties and help reduce prices in inner city areas. The Murton Gap development could affect the residential property in the area between North Shields to Wallsend.
The house builders claim that that there is a need for affordable housing. However, it is possible to buy a two bedroom property for £50,000 in North Tyneside. Affordable housing is already available and so there is little justification for building more properties. The problem in North Tyneside is generally a lack of income rather than a lack of available property. Finally, local politicians on Tyneside seem unable or unwilling to protect Tyneside's natural environment. If environmental protection is not forthcoming then many people will choose to leave Newcastle and North Tyneside.
Open Cast Mining in South East Northumberland
There is also the potential for opencast coal mining in South East Northumberland which could discourage people from living in the wider area.
Housing Demolitions
There is a legacy of demolishing housing on Tyneside. A particular loss was the housing around what is now Northumbria University in Newcastle. This is a legacy which dates back to the time of former Newcastle politician T Dan Smith.
Developers have been building on green field sites when houses have been demolished, particularly, in the East and West End of Newcastle. Housing in inner-city areas has been wrongly dismissed as slum property. Instead strategies are needed to support relatively deprived locations, perhaps, through subsidies on council tax. It would be very expensive but council tax could be free for residents in the electoral wards between Scotswood and Walker in Newcastle. The cost of transport could be substantially reduced with bus fares lowered to say 30 pence in the Scotwood to Walker area. Such a policy should have been pursued in preference to demolition.
Too Late to Guide the Invisible Hand (from the top video)
Adam Smith’s invisible hand theory suggests that market forces can reach a balanced state or equilibrium. However, Richard Douthwaite’s book the ‘Growth Illusion’ talks about ‘guiding the invisible hand’ (chapter 16). That there is a need to rectify market failures where there is harmful economic growth. The ‘killing of the land’ is based on ‘The Killing of the Countryside’ by Graham Harvey.
Whitley Bay - Forgotten Town - Desktop Version
A protest video against the house building in North Tyneside on greenfield land.
The closure of the Spanish City theme park represented the loss of an important leisure amenity to Tyneside. The decline of hotels in Whitley Bay can be partly explained by the loss of Spanish City. South Tyneside has taken a more proactive and positive approach to maintaining South Shields' role as a traditional holiday resort (see the video).
Whitley Bay - Forgotten Town - Tablet Version
Debate Over The Homes Planned For North Tyneside (The Public Needs To Have 'Choice')
A video on the costs of future housing developments. Civic leaders need to protect Tyneside's green spaces to protect the area's future.