Local Growth Plan: Place
This section provides a holistic picture of the region's physical and environmental foundations, which are important in understanding how our economy and communities operate. It brings together data and insight on the region's housing landscape, transport, tourism and climate.
Rural
The North East Combined Authority spans a diverse geography; from Berwick-upon-Tweed in the Scottish Borders to Barnard Castle in the Pennine Foothills. It includes National Parks, rugged coastlines, river valleys, vibrant cities, historic towns, and agricultural communities.
The 2021 Rural-Urban Classification (RUC), helps us understand more about the rural/urban geography, published in March 2025 using 2021 Census data, it categorises each Census Output Area (OA) based on settlement characteristics:
- Larger rural: Majority live in ABUAs with fewer than 10,000 residents, including small towns and low-density fringes
- Smaller rural: Dominated by villages, hamlets, and isolated dwellings
- Urban: Majority live in built-up areas (ABUAs) with 10,000+ residents
Map contains data from the Office for National Statistics licensed under the Open Government License v.3.0
Gross value added by area type
Gross Value Added (GVA) by area shows the value of goods and services produced by areas types (major urban conurbations, smaller towns, and rural regions) across the North East.
In all areas types, a steady increase in GVA can be seen. Urban major conurbations (large built up areas) in the North East consistently contribute the highest GVA, showing significant growth from around 16,000 in 2003 to approximately 33,000 in 2023. Urban cities and towns have also shown consistent and gradual economic growth over the 20-year period from 2003 to 2023. Although rural areas have contributed the least to GVA, their impact has doubled from 2003 to 2023, reaching over 8,000.
Transport
a decrease from 936 in 2023 according to the National Travel Survey
Active travel refers to journeys made by walking, cycling, or other physically active modes.
Changes in Travel Patterns
The National Travel Survey shows the average number of journeys by transport type and journey length. It highlights how travel patterns have changed between 2002–2003 and 2024.
This shows that for all lengths of trips, walking journeys have gone down between the two time points, car drivers and passengers journeys have remained relatively stable, and bus trips have also gone down at every trip length.
Housing
North East house price to earnings ratio
In the North East of England, property is the most affordable in the country, with a median house price to median earnings ratio of 4.8 in 2024, meaning residents need 4.8 gross annual salaries to buy a medium-priced home, compared to the England and Wales average of 7.54.
The region also has the most affordable rents, with average rents representing 19.8% of private-renter household income in FYE 2024, though a significant portion of the population rents privately or socially.
However, homeownership rate is below the national average and is lowest of all regions outside of London.
Culture and tourism
North East England’s visitor economy has grown to over £6.6 billion in 2024, with the latest STEAM figures confirming a strong rise in overnight stays across all seven local authority areas and longer average visits.
While some areas saw a dip in day visits, partly due to difficulties tracking beach and park visitors, the sector continues to support more than 62,800 jobs across the region. Industry leaders acknowledge ongoing challenges from the cost-of-living crisis and forecast a dip in leisure and weekend travel in spring 2025, but action is already underway through a new weekend taskforce and initiatives to leverage the North East’s cultural, creative and sporting assets.
Climate and environment
is within the Northumberland National Park or National Landscapes
(internationally designated important wetlands).
The North East reduced its greenhouse gas emissions by 56% from 2005 to 2023, outperforming England’s average. In 2023, emissions totalled 8,695 kilotonnes, mainly from transport and domestic sources, with carbon dioxide as the dominant gas. Transport was the largest contributor at nearly 33%, followed by domestic premises (27%), agriculture (13%), and industry (12%). Per resident, emissions were lower than the England average and ranked sixth lowest among the 15 combined authority areas.
More of the Local Growth Plan
