We speak to NE1 about their bid for the next five years in Newcastle

National World - LocalTV

NE1 have received feedback from businesses on the city’s hopes and ambitions so they can continue to help Newcastle thrive. We spoke to NE1 about the bid and find out what businesses seem to want in Newcastle.

Transcript

00:00 The bid was established by City Centre businesses in 2009.

00:04 And what it is ultimately is businesses coming together to pay a little extra money on their business rates,

00:11 pooling that collectively to address common problems, issues in the City Centre,

00:18 or indeed grass-pooled of opportunities.

00:21 Historically we've operated in three core areas,

00:25 which is providing a stronger voice for business, lobbying, advocating on their behalf,

00:30 attracting and promoting, you know, those big events like Magic Weekend at St James' Park,

00:36 to Restaurant Week, and those operational elements, the city environments,

00:43 that's cleaner, greener and safer, so we have a rapid response, clean team,

00:47 and our team of street rangers who are out in the City Centre as well.

00:52 In the bid document, anyone have said that 347,000 visitors attend events delivered by or supported by anyone every year.

01:02 One of the main pillars that is also part of the bid is giving businesses a voice.

01:06 Well we've been consulting on our next five-year term.

01:10 I think definitely businesses are very positive about the amount of investment,

01:16 public and private sector, that's coming into the City Centre.

01:19 They're really positive about that.

01:21 There's a lot of comments coming back around the city environment,

01:26 anti-social behaviour, the cleanliness of the city, you know, how clean is it, how safe does it feel.

01:33 But equally that is measured with commercial opportunities in the future,

01:38 so the Gatehead Conference and Exhibition Centre,

01:41 businesses on the Quayside are really enthusiastic about that.

01:45 You've got the works continuing on Pilgrim Street, which again will have a huge impact,

01:52 those 15,000 employees that will be housed in the site by 2027.

01:57 So I think there's a lot of opportunities, but it's a good time for asking ourselves a question as a city,

02:02 are we actually set up and best placed to take advantage of these opportunities to stimulate economic growth, drive employment and jobs?

02:13 With a lot of change happening in the city over the next five years,

02:17 anyone have said it's important to use the time to plan ahead

02:20 and to make sure that they can work with their partners to make Newcastle the best it can be.

02:24 I think it'll be a really important five years,

02:28 not least because there's a lot of new things landing at the same time.

02:31 It's really positive, but it comes with growing pains as well, doesn't it?

02:37 You know, more people in the City Centre means more rubbish, more waste, things like that.

02:42 So ultimately it's a time for us to reflect on what will be happening moving forward,

02:49 so we can plan adequately for that five years and we can work with partners like the City Council

02:54 and the police in a strategic way to deliver a City Centre that people want to live, work and socialise in.

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