Newcastle City Council is all primed to take over management of the city’s parks and green spaces once again.
Newcastle United are in discussions regarding a potential expansion or relocation of St James’ Park, which currently stands in close proximity to Leazes Park and the Leazes Conservation Area. Leazes Park has been under the management of Urban Green since 2019 but will now return to be managed by the Council following a review.
A statement issued by Newcastle City Council read: “Newcastle City Council is set to take over management of the city’s parks and green spaces after a meeting of Cabinet on Monday evening.
“Urban Green Newcastle (UGN) has managed 33 parks, more than 60 allotment sites and around 60 buildings since it was established as a charity by the City Council in 2019.
“The council had granted £1m of additional funding to UGN for the 2024/25 financial year, with a condition being a review of the management of parks and allotments was undertaken.
“The review was completed while the City Council also undertook a five-week engagement exercise so residents and partners could have their say.
“A report presented to Cabinet on Monday, November 25, recommended the management of parks and allotments comes back to the council.
“At that meeting the decision was approved and work to transfer staff and assets to the City Council is now underway.”
While the change does not directly impact Newcastle’s stadium plans, Newcastle City Council and its available will play an important part in any redevelopment. The Magpies currently pay the council ground rent as part of a lease agreement at St James’ Park that runs until 2097.
Talks between the council and club are understood to have taken place and building a new stadium on part of the current Leazes Park site has also been mooted.
A significant update on the future of Newcastle’s stadium is expected in early 2025. In the meantime, the club have been conducting a feasibility study and chief operations officer Brad Miller discussed the subject at a fan event at St James’ STACK last week.
“It is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” he said. “Do we invest and transform St James’ as we see it today on the site where we are? Or do we take that bold move and think about moving?
“We want to make sure it is a very robust process. So regardless of the outcome, I want to stand up in front of everybody throughout the process and say, ‘This is why it is a logical decision, with long-term competitiveness in mind.’ Because as you have heard a lot, it is all about revenue and PSR. We have to work hard to make sure we give as much money as possible to Paul (Mitchell) and the football side in order to remain competitive on the field.
“In terms of next steps, we are coming towards the end of the next stage, the briefing stage. There are a lot of risks and opportunities at St James’.
“We have to take time to dig into those and make sure we’ve got the devil in the detail — in terms of the programme, how long it will take and what it will do for us in terms of revenue.”
Expanding St James’ Park significantly is currently thwarted by its location next to Leazes Terrace, the park and above the St James’ Metro Station. The feasibility study is set to provide the club with some solutions to those issues, but an agreement with the council to build a new stadium nearby is another route for the club to explore.
However, in the statement issued earlier this week, Deputy Leader of the Council, Cllr Alex Hay stressed that the council were committed to protecting the city’s parks and helping them thrive.
“The City Council, Urban Green Newcastle, and those who use our city’s green spaces all want the same thing – our parks and allotments to thrive,” he said.
“Newcastle’s parks and green spaces play a leading role in the health and well-being of our residents. We are committed to protecting them and working alongside our communities to make sure they are places to be proud of.”