Call to ban polluting generators from festive city markets
Issue unresolved after four years
DIESEL generators polluting the air around Newcastle’s Christmas markets must be scrapped by the next festive season, campaigners say.
Environmental activists have complained in the past about the use of diesel generators used to provide electricity to stalls around the city centre’s annual Christmas markets, in an area that has been named among Newcastle’s worst emissions hotspots.
After concerns were raised in winter 2019 about the harmful fumes that Christmas shoppers were being exposed to as a result of the polluting power source, Newcastle City Council said it hoped to install a cleaner alternative as part of plans for a pedestrianisation of the entire Blackett Street area.
But those designs have since been shelved following a power shift at the civic centre and, more than four years later, the issue remains unresolved.
Having been left frustrated at the sight of the diesel generators being used once again in the run-up to Christmas, in an area that is part of Newcastle’s Clean Air Zone, the Green Party’s Andrew Gray called for action to sort out a new means of powering 2024’s markets.
Mr Gray, the party’s candidate for the North East mayoral election, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “This is a long-running issue and it should have been fixed. They clearly think that they can find a solution for this but they still haven’t done so, when this was being talked about as far back as 2019. Even if they were depending on the Blackett Street pedestrianisation to get this done, they have had more than a year since those plans were shelved in order to do something different.
“This is quite doable. The council knows that it could do it, but they have not had anyone pushing them to do so and it has been pushed onto the back burner and not been dealt with.
“People are encouraged to come into the city and use the Christmas market - the least we can do is provide them with a safe and clean space for them to enjoy.”
In a recently published response to a freedom of information request, the council claimed that the disruption caused by the Covid-19 pandemic was largely to blame for delays to its proposed redesign of the city centre.
The authority said that “plans are in place to deliver a permanent solution that can power the entire market for Nov / Dec 2024”.
Mr Gray added: “We know that air pollution kills. It also shortens life and causes huge problems for people with respiratory problems. We know that we can provide solutions and the council has admitted that - it is purely a case of whether there is the political will.”
In 2018, the area of Blackett Street around Old Eldon Square was named as the fourth most polluted spot in Newcastle, according to council data.
While most recent data shows that emissions levels there have since reduced, annual average nitrogen dioxide levels at the location in 2022 still exceeded the legal limit of 40 micrograms per cubic metre of air.
A spokesperson for Newcastle City Council said: “We are incredibly proud of our Christmas Markets.
“It provides a huge boost to the city’s economy over the festive period, and we will always look at opportunities to stage such events in a way that minimises any impact on the environment.
“We agree that we would rather not have to use diesel generators as we recognise that this is not in line with our priority to be a Net Zero city by 2030.
“This year’s Laser Light City event used rechargeable battery powered generators alongside electrical cold spark pyrotechnics and demonstrated our commitment to sustainability.
“This option was explored for the Christmas Markets but, due to the duration of the market, and its vast footprint across the city centre, it was not feasible in 2023. “We are redoubling our efforts to have sustainable measures in place for 2024 and look forward to welcoming traders once again to Newcastle city centre at the most wonderful time of the year.”
People are encouraged to come into the city and use the Christmas market - the least we can do is provide them with a safe and clean space for them to enjoy
Andrew Gray, Green Party