This website tells the story of Urban Green Newcastle – from its founding on 01 April 2019 to the transfer of the city’s parks and allotments back to Newcastle City Council on 28 February 2025.  We hope that our experience and learning provides valuable insight, and inspires other parts of the country to learn from this visionary approach to securing the long-term future of our shared green spaces.

Urban Green Newcastle was a bold, innovative and pioneering approach to transform how public green space was cared for and managed in Newcastle upon Tyne. Founded on 01 April 2019 by Newcastle City Council (working in partnership with the National Trust and National Heritage Lottery Fund), the new charitable trust was responsible for 33 of the city’s public parks, 61 of its allotment sites, and 57 park buildings.

Over the seven years prior to the charity’s creation, Council funding for green spaces was cut by more than 90%. Urban Green Newcastle therefore took on a significant challenge. It faced reversing the decline, repairing and improving the estate, and raising the required funding – all while trying to set up a brand new charity. 

In under six years, Urban Green Newcastle achieved a huge amount, summarised under ‘Work and Achievements’. It was successful in generating new revenue streams and securing millions of pounds in additional funding. The charity engaged with hundreds of volunteers and partners, and created new pathways into employment by working with organisations including The Skill Mill and Probation Service North East. It also ensured Newcastle’s diverse wildlife population continued to flourish through initiatives like Beelines North East and the regional partnership, Newcastle’s Nature Networks.

‘Our Journey’ charts the charity’s timeline, along with its many achievements. An independent ‘Evaluation’ of Urban Green Newcastle – commissioned by the charity and National Trust – provides an in-depth look at Urban Green Newcastle’s successes, challenges, and Newcastle City Council’s decision to bring the management of parks and allotments back under local authority control. And ‘Urban Green In Numbers’ demonstrates the scale and impact of the charity’s work by the point of its transfer to Newcastle City Council in March 2025. 

As former trustees of Urban Green Newcastle, we’re incredibly proud of everything that the charity achieved. And it’s our shared consensus that Urban Green Newcastle, working in partnership with the city council, could have continued to achieve so much more for the people of Newcastle. 

We firmly believe that a third sector approach to managing infrastructure such as parks and allotments offers benefits including dedicated and quality services, innovation and a broader funding mix than that available to local authorities. We hope that the learning from Urban Green Newcastle will provide value to all those seeking a sustainable long-term future for public green space.