What's the difference between Sunderland & Newcastle?

Ben Gardner

Winger
This isn't a joke and is meant to be a serious question.

Plan for £250m urban village on Newcastle Quayside | Construction Enquirer

The above article outlines basic plans for a £250m development on derelict land on Newcastle quayside.

Great news for them, loads of jobs being generated, some new new homes and loads of commercial stuff going on (potentially)

But when I read stuff like this, it's galling to think about the negative comments that would emanate from Mackems if such a thing was mooted for Sunderland - despite us having a near-identical plot of land ripe for development by the Wear.

Geographically, Newcastle is at a massive advantage with transport infrastructure but there must be more to it than that.

So, with this in mind (and going back to my original question), is it the local council? Is the place just better connected? Do they have a more condensed population? Is the demographic considered higher? Do businesses and investors buy into their history? Is it because their city centre architecture is finer?

I've grown out of a football-based bias against Newcastle and I really don't mind some of them, but for years I've always wondered how they seem to get the rub of the green, so-to-speak.

Investment, transport, music venues, even down to stuff like festivals n that.

Let's be honest, the people are no better or no worse than us. They're a traditionally working-class populous that expanded in the last century on heavy industry - and now working in tech and service industries (more-so than shipyards & pits)

We have so much going for us a s city, and we do seem to be going places (the City of Culture 2021 bid showed that), but we could be so much better. It's easy to say, "ignore them, focus on Wearside" but when developments like this quayside thing get unadulterated support from business and the public, it's a little annoying.
 


I think that in terms of a conurbation, Newcastle is the capital of the Tyne and Wear area so it will always be the focal point of investment and development.
Sunderland has only been a City for a very short amount of time so maybe this has something to do with it.
The way I look at it and it’s completaly vice versa, everybody from this area should enjoy the development and benefits this brings. Tyne and Wear and the surrounding areas is a small place so all of this is accessible. Sunderland is 13 miles, a short metro ride / drive away so all of this is readily available and accessible to all.
It saddens me that people put football rivalries ahead of the greater good.
Like I say it’s a vice versa thing. If Sunderland has something on, and I believe it’s improved ten fold in recent years then likewise its there to enjoy.
Very recently I’ve been to the illuminations, tall ships, Grayson perry at winter gardens, gigs at pop recs, shopping in Aphrodite, walks along seaburn beach and the summer streets festival and they’ve all been great.
I’m not bothered if it’s newcastle, Sunderland or anywhere in the north east as along as it’s happening. Let’s all just enjoy it I say.
 
We aren't really comparable,yet we beat ourselves up over stuff .The centre of the city is way way bigger in every way.The footfall daytime and evening is massive from locals and outsiders.Its the regions commercial centre .The down side is masses of people and traffic if you want a quieter life ,I got out of sunderland for the same reason.Happy getting about easy and popping over there if and when i feel like it
 
We aren't really comparable,yet we beat ourselves up over stuff .The centre of the city is way way bigger in every way.The footfall daytime and evening is massive from locals and outsiders.Its the regions commercial centre .The down side is masses of people and traffic if you want a quieter life ,I got out of sunderland for the same reason.Happy getting about easy and popping over there if and when i feel like it

with that in mind, do you think footfall is the (at least, the main) answer?

certainly works for Newcastle, never seen it quiet / shops are always busy / very few boarded up.
 
They've been trying to develop that land for at least a decade. There's a reason why it hasn't happened.

And it won't if the plans go through for a new arena/conference centre in Gateshead as the land where the current arena sits is much more valuable.
 
There isn't enough money in the north east to support Sunderland and Newcastle, as the trains and buses and roads are set up to support Newcastle, it makes sense that the investment goes there.

What that doesn't mean however is that sunderlands centre should have been allowed to fall to bits and look shit, Sunderland should be seen as a residential area but with a nice town centre for locals to enjoy nice surroundings in the historical buildings with a focus on places to eat, drink and other lesuire activities, sunniside is an attempt to do that but it should be in the centre instead.
 

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