Thanks to all who signed this- nearly 4,000 people in a month. While c,1,500 were from NE2 and NE3, crucially, c,2,500 of people signing were from across Newcastle, the north east and further afield (including 50 overseas). A clear sign that this city and the region as a whole value the Town Moor. As reported, the Council have put on hold the plans and we welcome this. They are set to engage with a community committee drawn up from stakeholders. Change.org will be represented on this. We plan to keep the petition open as a way of updating people who have signed it with what is happening and would ask people to post comments so we can put points forward at this forum. A summary of the Town Hall meeting chaired by Chi Onwurah MP is given below as written by Nils Clemmetsen, member of the Jesmond Residents Committee. We welcome the change of approach from the Council and this opportunity to engage with the community but there remains a lot to be done. Thanks for your support. Change.org petition team *Report on Chi Onwurah meeting by Nils Clemmetsen (member of the JRA Committee).* *The meeting was held in Gosforth in Trinity Church on 24/8/2016 * The meeting was well attended despite the recent announcement that the proposals for the large roundabout on Dukes Moor and the no right turn in to Osborne Road are withdrawn. It appeared that most people attending the meeting thought it was just about the Blue House Roundabout, whereas Chi Onwurah's intention had been it to be more about "Building the West Gosforth we want". Chi Onwurah is the MP for Newcastle upon Tyne Central which covers West Gosforth. Chi's introduction message in her introduction was things do need to change. She outlined the format of the meeting with a section for breakout group discussions. There was some opposition from the floor where there was an expectation that there would be an opportunity for questions from the floor in the meeting as a whole, but the original intention prevailed. Catherine McKinnell - the MP for Newcastle upon Tyne North which covers East Gosforth also addressed the meeting. Councillor Ged Bell - Cabinet Member for Investment and Development addressed the meeting. His message was that he wants what is best for Newcastle. He also made the point that transport choice has an impact. Graham Grant, Head of Transport Investment since June 2015 addressed the meeting. He made the following points: The consultation process has brought the community together. Transport planning is complex. People have different need and views. It is still possible to engage with his department through the email address roads@newcastle.gov.uk The new proposals will be developed with a working group acting in an advisory capacity chaired independently. It is planned that there would be final proposals before Christmas. The working group will number no more than 20 and should include representatives of the following: Residents Associations: Jesmond Residents Association, High West Jesmond Residents Association, Admiral's 5 Residents Association and possibly a newly formed West Gosforth Residents Association. SPACE for Gosforth Newcastle Youth Parliament Elders Council Disability Forum Gosforth Traffic People behind Change petition There was feedback from the six breakout groups. As a final add on to the original agenda Graham Grant addressed some of the issues raised by the feedback. He accepted that there needed to be more trust and transparency - the first step was being at the meeting. There will be further similar public meetings. Some people suggested Park and Ride as a solution. They are looking at two further park and ride sites. One is in City Council ownership but is in the green belt - the other is owned by Persimmon Homes. The existing Park and Ride on the Great Park is really only fully used on Newcastle United and Newcastle Falcons match days. People challenged the data behind the requirement for the roundabout proposals: Accident statistics are available on http://www.crashmap.co.uk Traffic growth is based on nationally accepted guidance. The roundabout proposal was a classic response to the data, if we want something different something else will have to change. He noted that the Tyne and Wear authorities have taken trying to bring local bus services under local control further than any other area, but were ultimately unsuccessful although he referred to legislation that is currently before parliament that could change things. He stated that on the basis of their data remodelled junctions in the City such as Cowgate perform better than previously although not everyone shares that view. He pointed out that Four Lane Ends is in North Tyneside. He referred to the Traffic Management Act 2004 (TMA). This act was introduced to tackle congestion and disruption on the road network. The TMA places a duty on local authorities to make sure traffic moves freely and quickly on their roads and the roads of nearby authorities. The people of the city need to decide what we want going forward. Hope that gives you a flavour of the meeting. I would think there will be media reporting. Chi Onwurah was interviewed on camera outside before the meeting started. Nils Clemmetsen