We’ve been waiting for this for years

Nov 6 2007 By The Journal

GATESHEAD town centre is destined to become a thriving shopping and leisure destination, thanks to a multi-million-pound transformation.

Plans to give the 3.5-hectare site a major facelift were recently unveiled. The town centre will be brought into the 21st Century with shops, offices, homes, a cinema, supermarket, cafes, restaurants and a hotel.

The multi-storey Get Carter car park could be replaced with offices, a hotel, cinema or a new Tesco store, and outdated Trinity Square shopping centre and indoor market hall will be revamped.

Spenhill Developments Ltd, the commercial arm of supermarket group Tesco, unveiled its vision for the town at roadshows. Artist’s impressions showed options for the future Gateshead town centre, in line with Gateshead Council’s vision for a vibrant centre to complement the leisure and cultural redevelopment of Gateshead Quayside.

Gateshead Council and One NorthEast have contracted Building Design Partnership to guide investment in the town for 15 years.

Gateshead Council leader Coun Mick Henry said: “We want a town centre that reflects where we are today – a modern, forward-thinking and energetic borough that offers 21st Century solutions to the needs of our residents, businesses and visitors.

“This will not happen overnight, but the strategy has put in place the building blocks to get us moving in the right direction. Development of our town centre will create jobs for local people and bring retail, leisure and business opportunities here that residents want to have easier access to.

“It will also encourage others to invest in and visit Gateshead. This could be one of the most exciting developments yet for people who live and work here. We’ve waited a long time to be able to talk about development on this scale for our town centre – people have been asking for progress to be made for many years.”

As part of £1bn secured for regeneration in Gateshead, the scheme is intended to act as a catalyst for more revamps in the town centre, after the transformation the town has undergone in recent years in cultural and commercial developments from schemes as diverse as Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art to Gateshead International Stadium, the MetroCentre and many more. Max Curtis, corporate affairs manager for Tesco, speaking on behalf of Spenhill, said: “Our plans are to build on the town centre’s strengths, such as its good central location and transport links and easy access to new leisure and cultural developments. We aim to build on the regeneration successes at Gateshead Quays by bringing more opportunities and investment here.”

The development will provide hundreds of jobs both during construction and once completed. Better landscaping and transport connections will also be important elements.

The proposals will also incorporate green elements and integrated energy. Neil Graham, acting head of regeneration North at One NorthEast said: “It’s an exciting time for Gateshead and the redevelopment of the town centre will create a raft of new opportunities for the private sector. By providing a new place to invest in the property market, Gateshead is set to become a key location to do business.”

Spenhill says demolition will start as early as this month,November with the telephone exchange in Lambton Street going first. The multi-storey car park will be demolished early next spring, with all car parking to be underground. The company says agreement has been reached with market hall traders, allowing them to continue trading until close of business on January 11. It is hoped work on the redevelopment, subject to approval, will start at the end of next year and could be completed by 2011.

Francis Glare, urbanism director at BDP, said, “We could immediately see the potential in Gateshead town centre as one half of the Newcastle-Gateshead city region and so we are delighted to be undertaking this commission. We know this is a view shared by others and we look forward to welcoming the BCSC conference to Gateshead in November, when the development world will be able to see the opportunities at first hand.”

Visit www.gateshead.gov.uk or www.yourtrinitysquare.co.uk