Have Your Say On Open Spaces

South Tyneside Council is inviting people to give their views on the Borough's open spaces as part of planning for future development.

A four-week long public consultation exercise will be launched on Monday and will help form the evidence base for the upcoming Local Plan.

Open spaces include areas like parks, beaches, children's play areas, cemeteries, wildlife sites and allotments. The study will assess their usage, demand, and value.

Residents will be invited to complete an online survey and respond to questions such as how far they have to travel to get to open spaces, how often they use them, and if they can identify any potential improvements.

Local Plans must be supported by a robust and up to date evidence base; the existing Open Space Study is out of date.

Cllr Margaret Meling, Lead Member for Economic Growth, Skills and Climate Change, said: "We've listened to what residents told us during the recent regulation 18 Local Plan consultation and we know that open spaces are really important to them.

"Our communities value the role they play in terms of their health and wellbeing, for socialising, and for mitigating climate change.

"Now we want to learn more about how, why and when they use open spaces and what they think about existing provision.

"The findings of this consultation will help in the preparation and ongoing development of the emerging Local Plan."

The consultation will run from October 10 until November 4, and the survey is available at www.southtyneside.gov.uk/haveyoursay