Closes 5pm, 29 July 2026. Takes about 10 minutes.
Start the survey here
This is a step-by-step guide to filling in the survey. Go question by question: you don't need to write anything from scratch, just use what's below.
Short on time? Q3 and Q7 are the two that matter most.
Our two big asks running through the whole thing: the highest possible number of council homes, at genuine social rent, built accessible from day one.
Q1. What is your main interest in this consultation?
Pick whichever is true for you: resident, works locally, voluntary/community group, etc. There's no "wrong" answer here, it's just so the council can see who's responding.
Q2. Rank how new housing developments can improve health and wellbeing
Important: if you're happy with the order the list is already in, you still need to drag at least one item and move it back again: otherwise the survey won't register that you answered this question at all.
Here's our suggestion on the order: access to healthcare, shops and community facilities near the top matters most in underserved areas like the West End. Put "safe, well-lit environments... to reduce crime" last if you'd rather not be seen backing more policing as a proxy for community safety.
Then, in the free text box "Is there anything else you would like to add?", write:
New housing developments can improve health and wellbeing by being available at social rent, energy efficient, both warm in winter and cool in summer, and not damp.
Q3. Are there particular types of housing you think should be prioritised?: THIS IS THE BIG ONE.
Tick:
- ☑ Specialist housing, such as homes for older people and disabled people
Don't tick “affordable housing” as its own option: the definition of poorly defined, “affordable” is tied to a percentage of market price or rent, and market rates here aren't affordable to people on your communities' wages. Ticking it just lets developers claim credit for homes nobody we know could actually afford.
In “Add something else”, write:
Council homes and homes at social rent rates. We want the highest possible number of council homes delivered through this plan: housing should be a public good we collectively own, not an asset class for private wealth extraction.
On accessible housing: this deserves more than a tickbox. Build it in from the start, not later: it's cheaper, and it means people aren't forced to move house when their needs change. Accessible housing shouldn't be a “specialist” category: most of us will need it at some point, through age, illness or injury, and plenty of disabled people will need to keep driving and need homes designed around that too.
Add this to the same box or to Q3's comments:
We want the Local Plan to require accessible and adaptable design as the default standard for all new council housing, with a clear proportion of homes built fully wheelchair-accessible, based on evidenced local need. Accessible housing should not be a "specialist" category: there is already a lack of accessible housing and most people will need it at some point in their lives, and building it in from the outset is cheaper than retrofitting later. Failing to do this is baking in a new housing crisis.
(More detail if you want it: national planning guidance sets out different levels of accessible-housing build standard, from basic step-free access up to homes fully designed for wheelchair users, and says it's better to build to these from the start than adapt afterwards. You can ask the council to make the higher standard the default, with a set proportion of homes built fully wheelchair-accessible.) If you want to know more about the regulations involved in accessible housing you can read this document.
Q4. How important are the following to you? (Public transport / walking / wheeling / cycling / driving)
Tick "Very important” for all five. Driving will stay essential for a lot of people over this plan's timescale: including many disabled people who rely on cars: and better public transport, walking and cycling infrastructure doesn't require pretending otherwise.
Q5. What types of businesses and jobs should we aim to attract?
Tick whichever genuinely appeal to you from the list. We'd suggest:
- ☑ Education, training, and apprenticeship opportunities for local people
- ☑ Green economy jobs
- ☑ Skilled trades and construction jobs to support sustainable development
In "Add something else", write:
Publicly owned industries and cooperatives: jobs with security and local control, not more zero-hours warehouse, delivery-hub work, or data centres.
Q6. Rank how new developments can make communities greener, healthier and better prepared for climate change
Important: as with Q2, if the list already looks right to you, drag one item and move it back to make sure your answer is captured.
We'd put energy-efficient buildings using renewable energy and access to local shops, services and community spaces near the top if you want a steer.
In "Is there anything else you would like to add?", write:
New developments should be built to the highest energy efficiency standards achievable, and every new council home should be genuinely warm, dry and cheap to heat: this is a climate measure and a health measure at the same time.
Q7. Final comments
We recommend writing:
This Local Plan should maximise the number of council homes delivered, at genuine social rent. Housing should be a public good, not an asset class for private wealth extraction.
Accessible homes are not "specialist": most people will become disabled at some point in their lives, and all new housing should be built accessible and adaptable as a default, with a proportion built fully wheelchair-accessible. It is cheaper to build this in from the start than to adapt later, and it stops disabled and older people being squeezed into a small, separate pool of homes.
Local authorities must prioritise enforcement of developers' fulfilment of their legal obligations around building publically owned accessible and social housing.
Local authorities must negocaite the fulfilment of the absolute maxium building publically owned accessible and social housing, over and above the definded miniums. And commit to taking action against developers that fail to provide what they promised with our money.
Stop using AI to make decisions about our future! We'd also ask the council to confirm publicly whether any AI tool is being used to analyse responses to this consultation, and if so, what human oversight applies.
What to do next
1. Fill in the survey using this guide: start here. It's specific to Newcastle and Gateshead, so it matters most if you live, work, or organise here: but the survey has its own categories for neighbouring areas and interested groups too, if you want to respond from further afield.
2. Not a member yet? Join Food & Solidarity.: you don't need to be local to join us.
3. Share this guide with your neighbours, your group chat, your street, or your own networks wherever you are.
