Local information about Byker

Byker is situated two miles to the East of the City Centre positioned on the banks of the River Tyne. Photograph of a garden for Byker in Bloom Competition 2006

The world famous Byker Estate development is located in the ward. The estate, which is now proposed to be listed as a world heritage site, was designed by Ralph Erskine in the 1970s. The original design was for a car free estate where children could play safely and residents would be shielded from the north easterly winds by the Byker Wall.

Byker ward contains two primary schools: St Lawrence RC Primary and Byker Primary. Byker Primary School also has a nursery class.

The local Neighbourhood Housing Office is located on Brinkburn Street serving the Byker Estate, while St Anthony's North Housing Office on St Anthony's Road serves Byker housing to the east of Allendale Road/Union Road. Both provide Your Homes Newcastle residents in the area with a variety of functions and services including rent enquiries and the reporting and monitoring of repairs to their properties.

Further along this road is the Brinkburn Centre. This city resource offers a number of community learning facilities and services such as Home Delivery Service, Early Years Library Loan Service, Lifelong Learning Opportunities and IT Outreach, which aims to provide information and communication technology to all residents who want it. IT training is also provided at the YMCA Project and by Newcastle College at the Raby Street site.

Photograph of a garden for Byker in Bloom Competition 2006 Byker residents also have access in the bordering ward of South Heaton to the East End Pool, the library on Corbridge Street and the East End Customer Service Centre on Shields Road. The pool offers a multi purpose pool, a gym and dance studio as well as other facilities. The East End Customer Service Centre provides advice and a site for rent payments.

There are many ways you can get involved in Byker.

Byker has a Community Forum which meets bi monthly in the evening. Local residents and workers are welcome to attend.
The Estate Maintenance Meeting brings residents together with environmental officers to highlight environmental concerns.
Residents are welcome to attend the Byker Community Meeting where they can meet their Housing Manager, Community Beat Officer and Street Wardens to raise local concerns.
Tenants and Residents Groups exist for Byker Village, Scarborough Road, Byker Old Town, Dunn Terrace and Shipley Walk.
What's on For Children and Young People in Byker is a booklet which details all the facilities available in the ward and is available from your ward co-ordinator.
Byker Friendly Club brings together older people from across the ward for a variety of activities every 2 months.
Byker in Bloom is a gardening competition which takes place in Byker every summer. It has several categories suitable for the Byker ward and is open to all residents and organisations. Our photographs show the fantastic gardens that took part in 2006.

Byker ward is in the outer east of Newcastle and stretches from Photograph of a garden for Byker in Bloom Competition 2006 the Fossway and Millers Road in the north of the ward to the banks of the River Tyne in the south. It heads south onto the Shields Road bypass (A187) and continues along the A193 bypass along Shields Road to the Ouse Burn. It turns south down the Ouse Burn to the River Tyne and follows the river east, turning northwards to the west of the properties on The Oval (and excluding the Bakewell Terrace properties). Heading east along Walker Road, the boundary then turns north up Staines Road and continues north through Kingston Avenue. It turns west along Dunstanburgh Road, and then north between Welbeck Primary School grounds and the properties on Allendale Road. It turns east along Welbeck Road, then north up Scrogg Road, east at Middle Street, and north along Langley Road. The boundary then runs along the gardens at the back of Whinneyfield Road before turning west down the Fossway.