Pop-up changes to Newcastle’s iconic Grey Street set to be made permanent

Emergency changes made last year to an iconic street in Newcastle-Upon-Tyne to remove parking spaces and give more room to cyclists and pedestrians are set to be made permanent, reports Chronicle Live.

In response to the coronavirus pandemic, Newcastle City Council made the city’s Grey Street – in the past, voted the most beautiful street in Britain – one way for motor vehicles while removing one lane to give provide more space for people on bike or foot, as well as additional outside seating for cafés.

Council officials are now speaking with businesses about how the current interventions can best be made permanent, with the city benefiting from £2.5 million from the Department for Transport’s Active Travel Fund.

“We welcome the funding that has been allocated to making improvements on Grey Street and we are continuing to speak with local businesses to help determine what changes will be put in place,” said a council spokesperson.

“These changes will be aimed at improving opportunities for active travel in the area, making the street a cleaner, healthier and more people-friendly place.

“As part of the engagement with local businesses we have been looking at what their needs are and what measures would best suit the range of different requirements.

“We are also monitoring the temporary measures that are currently in place to understand how they are working and how they may need to be altered,” the spokesperson added.

The temporary changes have already won praise from Newcastle and beyond, with the chief executive of the Theatre Royal, which lies on Grey Street, saying it “no longer looks like a car park.”

Meanwhile, a conceptual illustration last year from the firm Ryder Architects, shown above, depicts how the road could ultimately look.

In 2019, the street hosted the uphill sprint finish of Stage 3 of the Ovo Energy Tour of Britain – won by the Jumbo-Visma rider, Dylan Groenewegen.