That’s the question I was asked by Renaissance NewcastleGateshead magazine and the short answer is “Not yet”. However, David Slater, Harvey Emms and more recently Kath Lawless at Newcastle council have set the framework for it to improve, so the jury is out. They understand the weaknesses and have clearly demonstrated a commitment to deal with the issues.
Hopefully, following the recent involuntary euthanasia at the Civic Centre, those remaining who report to David and Kath will focus on delivery and heed the message that development is fundamentally good for our city.
As the fragile market starts to stabilise and improve slightly this is an important time. Stock is low. If we are to stand a chance of attracting inward investment, which is the only real way to grow our city meaningfully, we must have buildings of scale and quality. We must demonstrate that these may be delivered with the public sector being part of the team and not an opposing force.
The market is fragile and improving very slightly. We need to use this opportunity, and avoid being caught up in minutiae. The tail has been docked…