Don't sell our green space - protect meadow rise and keep it public
The Issue
Don't Sell Our Green Space: Keep Meadow Rise Public
We are calling on the Council to protect Meadow Rise as a publicly owned community green space and not sell or dispose of the land to facilitate a housing development and access road.
Meadow Rise is not simply a piece of land. It is an established green space used and valued by local residents, providing open space, woodland and an important habitat and wildlife corridor.
For decades, people have enjoyed this space. It is part of our community and its loss cannot simply be measured by the value of the land to a developer.
We believe the Council should be protecting publicly owned green space for the benefit of the community, not disposing of it to facilitate development.
We therefore ask the Council to:
• Keep Meadow Rise in public ownership. • Do not sell or dispose of the land for the proposed access road or housing development. • Properly consider the loss of public open space, recreation, woodland and wildlife habitat. • Give local residents a meaningful opportunity to have their say before any disposal of the land is progressed.
Meadow Rise belongs to the community. Please don't sell it.
The proposal
A parcel of land known locally as Newbiggin Dene, or the Linear Park is at risk of development for an access road.
Our concerns are as follows:
1. Loss of vital green space
● The access route cuts directly through a well-used green space that families, children, and dog walkers rely on every day.
● Splitting this space with a road permanently removes a public amenity that matters to community wellbeing.
2. Traffic and highway safety
● Our estate roads were built for existing residents only — they have no capacity for the traffic 240 new homes would generate, during construction or afterwards.
● Routing traffic through our estate would destroy the safe, pedestrian-friendly character of streets where children currently play.
● Prior temporary bus routes caused damage to the road surfaces and increased noise.
● The main road serving our estate is a key route for emergency vehicles from Etal Lane Police Station. Added congestion risks delaying blue-light response times.
● This road already struggles at peak times. Adding 240 households' worth of traffic risks pushing local junctions past their limit.
● We have a fundamental objection to any vehicle access through our estate - not just the route currently shown. Any alternative road through this land still means cutting through the same green space and habitats, so moving the road doesn't solve the problem.
● This would potentially lead to increased antisocial behaviour. The area already has a problem with individuals riding off road motorbikes, e bikes and scooters at speed, both on roads and on grassy areas and paths. Adding a road to this area would provide further accessibility to these individuals and the opportunity for them to gain more speed.
3. Harm to wildlife
● This land supports deer, foxes, bats, and a wide range of birds.
● Removing mature trees and hedgerows for the access road would fragment habitats and permanently displace these species, directly at odds with biodiversity net gain policy.
4. Impact on nearby homes
● The proposed road runs very close to existing properties on Oulton Close and Elsing Close.
● Residents would face loss of privacy, headlight glare into gardens and bedrooms, and constant traffic noise from what would become a busy thoroughfare.
What we are asking Newcastle City Council to do
• Require the developer to identify an access point directly onto the external highway network, and not through any existing residential estate road.
• Require a full and independent assessment of cumulative traffic impact, taking into account the other large developments already approved or proposed nearby.
• Protect the existing green space from being severed or built over as part of any access road or site layout.
• Require full ecological surveys (including protected and locally significant species) before any decision is made on access or layout.
By signing below, you are adding your name to this petition, which will be submitted to Newcastle City Council’s planning department, local ward councillors, and local MPs.
915
The Issue
Don't Sell Our Green Space: Keep Meadow Rise Public
We are calling on the Council to protect Meadow Rise as a publicly owned community green space and not sell or dispose of the land to facilitate a housing development and access road.
Meadow Rise is not simply a piece of land. It is an established green space used and valued by local residents, providing open space, woodland and an important habitat and wildlife corridor.
For decades, people have enjoyed this space. It is part of our community and its loss cannot simply be measured by the value of the land to a developer.
We believe the Council should be protecting publicly owned green space for the benefit of the community, not disposing of it to facilitate development.
We therefore ask the Council to:
• Keep Meadow Rise in public ownership. • Do not sell or dispose of the land for the proposed access road or housing development. • Properly consider the loss of public open space, recreation, woodland and wildlife habitat. • Give local residents a meaningful opportunity to have their say before any disposal of the land is progressed.
Meadow Rise belongs to the community. Please don't sell it.
The proposal
A parcel of land known locally as Newbiggin Dene, or the Linear Park is at risk of development for an access road.
Our concerns are as follows:
1. Loss of vital green space
● The access route cuts directly through a well-used green space that families, children, and dog walkers rely on every day.
● Splitting this space with a road permanently removes a public amenity that matters to community wellbeing.
2. Traffic and highway safety
● Our estate roads were built for existing residents only — they have no capacity for the traffic 240 new homes would generate, during construction or afterwards.
● Routing traffic through our estate would destroy the safe, pedestrian-friendly character of streets where children currently play.
● Prior temporary bus routes caused damage to the road surfaces and increased noise.
● The main road serving our estate is a key route for emergency vehicles from Etal Lane Police Station. Added congestion risks delaying blue-light response times.
● This road already struggles at peak times. Adding 240 households' worth of traffic risks pushing local junctions past their limit.
● We have a fundamental objection to any vehicle access through our estate - not just the route currently shown. Any alternative road through this land still means cutting through the same green space and habitats, so moving the road doesn't solve the problem.
● This would potentially lead to increased antisocial behaviour. The area already has a problem with individuals riding off road motorbikes, e bikes and scooters at speed, both on roads and on grassy areas and paths. Adding a road to this area would provide further accessibility to these individuals and the opportunity for them to gain more speed.
3. Harm to wildlife
● This land supports deer, foxes, bats, and a wide range of birds.
● Removing mature trees and hedgerows for the access road would fragment habitats and permanently displace these species, directly at odds with biodiversity net gain policy.
4. Impact on nearby homes
● The proposed road runs very close to existing properties on Oulton Close and Elsing Close.
● Residents would face loss of privacy, headlight glare into gardens and bedrooms, and constant traffic noise from what would become a busy thoroughfare.
What we are asking Newcastle City Council to do
• Require the developer to identify an access point directly onto the external highway network, and not through any existing residential estate road.
• Require a full and independent assessment of cumulative traffic impact, taking into account the other large developments already approved or proposed nearby.
• Protect the existing green space from being severed or built over as part of any access road or site layout.
• Require full ecological surveys (including protected and locally significant species) before any decision is made on access or layout.
By signing below, you are adding your name to this petition, which will be submitted to Newcastle City Council’s planning department, local ward councillors, and local MPs.
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Petition created on 26 June 2026