The City Council’s consultation on the Forth Yards masterplan should have been a landmark moment – a chance to spark civic debate about the future of Newcastle, to define what kind of city we want to be, and to explore how regeneration can genuinely improve lives.

Instead, much of the early conversation has focused on a single image: a bridge.

In response to initial feedback, the council emphasised that the bridge was “illustrative,” part of a process to explore possibilities and demonstrate ambition. The defensive tone is telling. It reveals a masterplan limited in scope, lacking a clear sense of purpose, and falling short of the kind of strategic, city-wide vision Newcastle urgently needs.

Asking the bigger questions

We should be asking fundamental questions:

• How strategic and ambitious is this plan?
• What is its purpose beyond housing and commercial development?
• And, most importantly, where is the overarching vision for the city that it contributes to?

Forth Yards occupies one of Newcastle’s most significant sites – bordering the city centre, the riverside, Newcastle College, and our most ethnically diverse neighbourhoods. If developed strategically, it could transform the city, connecting communities, culture, education, and enterprise, and providing measurable improvements in health, wellbeing, and opportunity.

A vision that must belong to the city

The forthcoming inaugural lecture by Newcastle City Council’s Chief Executive, Pam Smith – “My Vision for the City”- is timely. It could provide clarity on priorities and opportunities. Yet it also raises a critical point: a city’s vision must ultimately be set by its political leadership, reflecting the ambitions and mandate of elected representatives, with officers and the executive team responsible for implementation. A lecture or professional perspective is valuable, but the overarching strategic direction must come from those accountable to Newcastle’s residents.

When I was leader, we were developing exactly that approach – ensuring regeneration, planning, and investment were guided by a shared vision of the city, of the city, by the city, and for the city, rather than through reactive, site-by-site decisions.  To make that vision real, I initiated the Showing City group, bringing together Foundation bodies, community organisations, key employers, and Newcastle United Football Club. The goal: to create a city vision owned collectively, shaping decisions across sectors and projects.

That work was progressing well. Since the change in leadership, however, there has been a noticeable silence. Strategic vision feels absent, leaving Newcastle without a coherent narrative for its most significant regeneration opportunities.

Beyond bricks and mortar

Regeneration should never be reduced to counting housing units or commercial floorspace. Its success must be measured by outcomes for people: improved health, education, employment, and opportunity.

Imagine connecting Forth Yards to the former General Hospital site, the largely underused Newcastle Business Park, and Newburn Riverside. Together, these areas could form a quarter of national significance, creating a living, inclusive urban space that drives the city’s growth and wellbeing.

Culture, skills, and opportunity

The West Road could become a Geordie Brick Lane – a vibrant food and culture quarter celebrating Newcastle’s diversity.

Embedded education and skills initiatives could be delivered directly in the community, in partnership with Newcastle College. Apprenticeships, enterprise support, health education, and training would reach residents where they live, ensuring regeneration has tangible, measurable impact.

This approach connects health, nutrition, employment, and cultural inclusion – building real bridges between opportunity and the people who need it most.

Measuring what matters

The true measure of success should be:

• Increased GP and dental registration.
• Reduced health inequalities;
• Higher participation in education, training, and work;
• Growth of local enterprise;
• Engagement in arts, culture, and civic life.

These are the outcomes that show whether regeneration genuinely improves lives.

The bridge highlighted in consultation imagery is symbolic. But the real bridges Newcastle needs are social, cultural, and economic. They link communities, opportunity, and ambition.

With strategic vision, Forth Yards could be the cornerstone of a Newcastle that grows sustainably, inclusively, and ambitiously. But this requires leadership willing to think at the scale of the city’s potential, not just the scale of individual projects.

A masterplan should never describe only buildings; it should describe a city’s future. Forth Yards is a once-in-a-generation opportunity – and if approached boldly, it could define Newcastle for the next century.