Bigg Market Consultancy Project 

"The Bigg Market oozes cultural meaning and significance for the city and for many people who take time to appreciate the space"

 

 

The statement alone sends out a strong message that the community value in the space, with this passion being acknowledged by NE1 and their business improvement strategy. Themes have emerged through the data collection process regarding people's desires for the area and are discussed within this blog. 

 

Public Realm

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The public realm was not mentioned favorably with the younger age groups, unlike the over 65s who used and appreciated the street furniture that is in the space. This is not to say that they would not like to see more benches and those that are currently there be replaced but they felt that it was nice to have the option to sit down in an area of the city that was slightly less hectic. The public realm element of the scheme provides an opportunity to enhance the space, its materials, design, use and movement within it. This has been positively received by the Council.

 

Social

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The results from the questionnaires highlight areas of the Bigg Market that people find value in, such as the drinking culture and retail offer appearing frequently in people’s positive responses. This highlights that while the Bigg Market provoked a lot of negative attention in the media about drinking, this is what people really value in the space and would like to see this retained in the future. 

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Passing Through

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At present, the Bigg Market is not a space that is perceived as a destination, rather it is a thoroughfare. On street surveys highlight that outside of employees of business in the Bigg Market, the majority of other visitors only use the space to pass through. This in turn creates a potential client, as there are people passing through the area, they now just need a reason to stay and use the space. Part of the scheme NE1 have planning permission for aims to "creation a flexible destination space in which to linger, and for a range of uses including cafe dining, market stalls, and larger events and activities" (NE1, 2016).

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Character

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The Medieval Character of the Bigg Market is of high significance and holds importance to many people and to Newcastle as a whole. The planning officer worries that there has been some resistance from local residents who are concerned about the medieval character being lost through the regeneration scheme. However, after speaking to various Newcastle City Council officers, the main value in the space comes from the offer that the side streets have to give in creating a medieval importance of the site. The design proposals submitted by NE1 support these values as the application focuses on the main squares public realm. NE1 have no immediate proposal to change the aesthetics of the surrounding streets leading into the Bigg Market.

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How do these findings reflect yours views on the Bigg Market? With change coming to the Bigg Market, this is your chance to have a say on what you would like to see in the future. Please get involved with our quick survey below!