© Northumberland County Council A scheme to resolve the long-standing issue of flooding near Prudhoe Railway Station is getting underway.   The area by the level crossing has been causing problems for residents for many years as it regularly suffered from surface water ponding on the road often making it impassable after periods of heavy rain.   requiring significant changes and improvements to the highway drainage system as well as having to secure agreements to carry out the work on private land and consents from Network Rail due to works being near the Newcastle to Carlisle rail line.   the Council will be bypassing an old collapsed culvert on Station Road installing a large diameter pipe from a manhole next to the rail line travelling through the carpark to another manhole at the top of Station Road.   The work will get underway in the railway station carpark on March 3rd and is expected to take around three weeks ten no-parking bays will be removed temporarily from within the transport interchange at the rail station car park to allow the buses and taxis to run as normal.  Station Road will be closed from the junction down from Glendinning's to the railway line on Sunday 23rd March for up to seven weeks – with the one-way system past Glendinning's to work as normal.  No cars or small vans will be allowed to pass over the railway level crossing They will have to follow the diversion to Ovingham and come over the bridge to go to the Country Park and businesses north of the rail track.  Vehicles above 3.5ton including HGV's will be escorted through the works and over the level-crossing in order to access the businesses north of the rail track HGVs cannot pass over Ovingham Bridge as the existing 3 tonne weight restriction on the bridge remains in place  Traffic Management Operatives will be in place 24/7 until the works are finished Cabinet member for Improving our Roads and Highways said: “We’re delighted to be starting on this scheme which has affected the road for a number of years.  The package of investment to improve Prudhoe town centre has been given a further boost by the County Council - with additional projects set to get started as early as this summer The County Council have already backed the town with work already well underway on the £1.6m Prudhoe Waterworld improvements on track to complete in Spring 2025 and the new West Wylam Playzone progressing well in the town one of the first of 16 new Playzones across Northumberland On top of this the availability of up to a further £3m for the town as part of the Borderlands Place Programme comes after millions of pounds worth of funding was agreed to improve seven towns across Northumberland.  Earlier this month the County Council’s Cabinet agreed proposals to establish a £9m Town Centre Transformation Package funded by Northumberland County Council as part of the county’s £21m Borderlands Place Programme part of the Borderlands Inclusive Growth Deal  Each town is set to secure up to £3m from the programme in total for improvements.   All the projects are part of the Northumberland Borderlands Place Programme - a ten-year £21m investment programme focused on town regeneration and economic growth in Alnwick £4m of this funding is earmarked for early delivery of a number of town centre projects to drive forward culture heritage and connectivity led improvements which will give a real boost to local communities.    The means that up to £500,000 is now available for new projects in Prudhoe such as the Glade town square project to create a revitalised event space on the High Street This could get underway from later this year alongside the proposed investment in the new East Centre which is developing well and set to seek funding approval later this year.  the County Council were out and about in Prudhoe with representatives from across the town  This included local County and Town Councillors Prudhoe Youth Project and Friends of Eastwood Park  At the walkabout a host of ideas were shared with a view to improving the High Street and also the wider town particularly including the Glade said: “Now we’ve agreed £9m of council funding for towns across the county we’re keen to get going on improvements and I’m pleased we have been able to meet with a range of local partners with a view to bringing some schemes forward.  “There’s a raft of improvements in the town at present pushing close to £5m of investment the majority of which is funded by the Council alongside our partners Waterworld’s refurbishment will be finished this Spring the new Playzone is under construction and now the County Council is backing the town as part of the £21m Borderlands Place Programme.  “Up and down the county I’m looking forward to each project making a positive impact locally as we continue to build towards delivering the Borderlands Place Programme across Northumberland.”  said: “It was great to hear the announcements confirming the County Council’s support for the town “It was very positive to then get straight out and about in Prudhoe the following day to explore the next stages of investing in our town  We heard about lots of exciting plans and ideas being developed locally by our partners and we will be working together to confirm some early delivery this year as well as the major projects in the pipeline for the future including the proposed new East Centre.”  14 Oct 2024 ARCHIVED (over 3 months old) - view latest news 13 Sep 2024 ARCHIVED (over 3 months old) - view latest news Work on a £1.6million County Council funded scheme to refurbish and refresh Prudhoe Waterworld is set for another step forward Full designs to improve facilities in the centre have been drawnup the tender process is  almost complete and the Council’s Cabinet are being recommended to approve the appointment of the contractor who will carry out the work Improvements will include a new wet changing area incorporating new showers changing cubicles and lockers as well as a vanity area and lighting The exit from the water flume will also be improved and a new external ramp installed to improve accessibility into the centre the contractors are due to be appointed in October with a view to starting on site within weeks and for the work to take place over the winter and be completed by March 2025 Local Ward Councillor Gordon Stewart said: “The centre is really popular and well-run, attracting thousands of visits each week but parts of the building are looking tired and in need of modernisation. This refurbishment work willbreathe new life into the centre and provide a modern and improved experience for both visitors and the local community.” Northumberland County Councillor Jeff Watson Cabinet Member with responsibility for Healthy Lives added: “Prudhoe Waterworld is a focal point for the community and an extremely important facility for people to visit to improve or maintain their health and well-being “This summer we installed a fantastic new wildlife themed soft play at the centre which is proving a big hit with young children– and their parents “We are going to push ahead to get this refurbishment work done as quickly as possible, so the centre becomes a modern and attractive place for customers to visit.” Prudhoe Waterworld was opened in 1990 by Tynedale District Council It is managed and operated by Places Leisure on behalf of Northumberland County Council The long awaited works to fix the flooding at Prudhoe station start on 3 March 2025 Station Road will be closed from the Badger roundabout Parkrunners will be unable to access the main and overflow car parks on Saturday mornings from the Prudhoe side Access to the car parks will be via Ovingham Bridge if you live in Prudhoe you'll need to get up early and follow the diversions via Bywell or Wylam Bridges to Ovingham We've expertly marked Ovingham bridge and the car park entrances with red arrows on the attached map for any tourists This is expected to last until around 10 May Please don't park in the main station car park instead as this will have reduced parking and is for rail users only © parkrun Limited (Company Number: 07289574) No part of this site may be reproduced in whole or in part in any manner without the permission of the copyright owner Work is taking place next week to improve the car park at Tyne Riverside Country Park at Low Prudhoe.  Cabinet member for looking after our environment at Northumberland County Council said: "We are committed to improving and enhancing access to parks and green spaces across the whole county.  "In recent years we have made significant investments to improve the play area at the Prudhoe site including provision of accessible play equipment as well as an improved cafe and toilet facilities “The improvements to the country park are proving to be very popular especially the high quality and value for money of the food and drinks at the park’s cafe and combined with free parking provision for visitors the site is going from strength to strength.  25 Sep 2024 ARCHIVED (over 3 months old) - view latest news A scheme to resolve the issue of flooding near Prudhoe Railway Station is set to get underway in the coming months.  The area by the level crossing has been causing problems for residents for some years as it regularly suffered from surface water ponding on the road often making it impassible after periods of heavy rain.  requiring significant changes and improvements to the highway drainage system as well as having to secure agreements to carry out the work on private land and consents from Network Rail due to works being near the Newcastle to Carlisle rail line.  subject to final agreement with Network Rail travelling through the carpark to another manhole at the top of Station Road.  teams will also be carrying out a number of road and footpath improvements and resurfacing towards the railway line to future proof the scheme.  said: “We’re pleased to be making progress on this historic scheme which has been complicated by the need to secure permissions to work on private land and to ensure the works don’t adversely impact the nearby rail line.  “We’d also like to thank Thompsons of Prudhoe for their support in getting the project to this point.  18 Sep 2024 ARCHIVED (over 3 months old) - view latest news Prudhoe has completed a major stage in the process of securing investment following approval of its new ‘Place Plan’ as part of the £21m Borderlands Place Programme in Northumberland.  renew and connect the town in the future has been endorsed by the Borderlands Partnership following a meeting of its Partnership Board this month It includes a pipeline of projects to improve the town including a focus on boosting Front Street improving youth and community facilities and repurposing heritage assets with potential funding through Borderlands and the County Council.  The plan highlights three high street-based focused projects which will now be developed further towards securing Borderlands funding as part of a ‘Town Investment Plan’ as well as a wider pipeline for the future This includes the East Centre project to create a new youth and community centre revitalising the former dilapidated Victorian school Training and business units to promote jobs and upskill residents is incorporated within the design Alongside the new East Centre proposals there are also plans to bolster the Front Street with a project to fill vacant retail units improve the visual impact and connectivity of the town and revitalise event space through improvements to the Glade public square including a new performance stage.  The plan’s been developed by the Prudhoe Place Partnership Group including private Its submission to Borderlands follows public consultation on the plan which over 400 people contributed to indicating support for the plans vision and objectives  40% of the respondents were young people under age of 19.  All the projects in the plan are subject to further development work and public consultation on the proposals prior to funding approvals being sought in due course.  Leader of Northumberland County Council said: “This is a great milestone to reach for Prudhoe and would not have been possible without the valuable involvement of the local community in helping the local Place Partnership Group to shape the future of their town “This new plan ensures that Prudhoe is set to benefit from further investment alongside the Council’s recent commitment to the town including the £1.6m investment in leisure facilities at Prudhoe Waterworld.”  County Councillor for Prudhoe South said: “There has been some excellent thinking already to develop the Place Plan based on community input “This new Plan helps us to put Prudhoe on the map and means we can work with confidence in collaboration with Prudhoe Community Partnership Prudhoe Town Council and all stakeholders in the town to deliver even more improvements to our town in future years.     Chair of the Place Partnership Group and Vice Chair of the Prudhoe Community Partnership said: “It’s great to hear about the sign off for our collective plan for investment in the town “I’d like to thank all partners and community members who have helped to shape the plan  We're looking forward to developing the project proposals to secure further investment to boost our town.”   Prudhoe Town Councillor and Vice Chair of the Place Partnership Group Tracy Gilmore said: “News of the approval of the Place Plan is fantastic to hear and will help us to move to the next stage of developing projects in readiness to secure capital funding for project delivery.     “We are working closely with our partners on the pipeline and as announced earlier this year are supporting the development of town centre projects in the pipeline  We will be continuing to collaborate on this exciting new package of projects for the town during 2024 and beyond.”  The Place Programme is a central part of the Borderlands Inclusive Growth Deal and will support towns’ growth through Place and Town Investment Plans.   It brings up to £50m of funding - £20m from the Scottish Government and £30m from the UK Government - and is core to the Deal’s Improving Places theme In total 22 towns across the region will benefit including seven in Northumberland: Alnwick The Borderlands Inclusive Growth Deal is a ten-year, £450m programme of investment signed in 2021 and supported by the UK and Scottish Governments  to deliver sustainable and inclusive economic benefits across the South of Scotland and North of England.  Alongside the investment in places it is also delivering projects and programmes to support digital infrastructure, encourage green growth and energy decarbonisation, enhance business infrastructure and skills increase tourism and make the most of our natural capital.  08 Aug 2024 ARCHIVED (over 3 months old) - view latest news Credit: ITV Tyne TeesPrudhoe Community High School will be closed for at least six to nine months after structural engineers advised that the building is not safe Investigations have been taking place since a floor crack was identified in the upper floor on 10 February Initially the building was considered safe to open In a letter to parents on Friday (21 February) the Cheviot Learning Trust has confirmed that they have been advised that a long-term closure is necessary students have been taking part in online learning and the trust has said they are exploring all options to restore face-to-face learning as soon as possible This could involve relocating onto another site partial relocation of certain year groups or building of temporary mobile classrooms One possible explanation for the damage which is being investigated is that high winds from storm Eowyn in January may have been a trigger event for the initial building movement However this has not been confirmed and further investigations are continuing to identify the root cause of the problem the chief executive officer of the Cheviot Learning Trust staff and community members for their support describing it as a "very challenging situation" Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To Know..