Gateshead Council’s development partner “Ask:PATRIZIA”, has submitted a full planning application for the £260m arena, conference and exhibition centre on Gateshead Quays.
The 80,000 sq ft development, which will host international conferences and exhibitions as well as music and cultural events, is situated on the iconic NewcastleGateshead Quayside, directly in front the Gateshead Millennium Bridge.
The scheme will include a 12,500 capacity arena, operated by ASM Global, an international conference and exhibition centre, a dual branded hotel, restaurants, and extensive areas of public realm. It is expected to add over 1,000 jobs and £29 million GVA per annum to the regional economy. The Council will be submitting a planning application later this year for a multi-storey car park on Baltic Quarter to service the development.
“Ask:PATRIZIA” is a joint venture between Ask Real Estate Limited and PATRIZIA AG, the pan-European real estate investment partner, for the development of Gateshead Quayside. Commenting on behalf of the partnership John Hughes, managing director of Ask Real Estate said: “We have undertaken a programme of public consultation with local stakeholders and neighbours which has informed our plans for Gateshead Quays and we are pleased that we are now able to take this through to the final stage of the planning process.
“Our appointed contractors Sir Robert McAlpine have been engaging with the technical teams and with the arena operator ASM Global and we have signed-off stage 2 designs for what will be a world-class events destination. We are hopeful that the scheme will achieve full planning consent later this year and look forward to delivering this superb facility for the North East as soon as possible.”
The scheme will also benefit from the ability to connect directly to Gateshead’s district energy network.
An announcement on the hotel operator is expected to be made in the coming weeks and the new complex is set to open 2023.
Award-winning global architect, HOK, is designing the overall masterplan for the site, conference and exhibition centre and 12.500 capacity arena while AHR Architects are designing the state of the art hotel which forms part of the masterplan. The project team also includes: Project Manager and Contract Administrator, Legends International; Lichfields, Planning Consultants; Gardiner and Theobald, QS; ARUP, structural engineers/ M&E and Vectos for transport planning.
Jen Hartley, Director, Invest Newcastle said:
“This £260m planned investment signals confidence and reassurance at a critical time for our economy. The announcement is such a positive step towards the future as the Covid-19 pandemic continues to affect the industry, with events across the world being cancelled or rearranged. We look forward to the time when we can start welcoming people from across the world and see our venues and hotels thriving once more.
“This world-class arena, conference and exhibition centre will not only further position our city as one of the top places to visit, it will create more than 1000 jobs and has the potential to bring £29m GVA per annum into our regional economy. As well as create jobs and play a vital role in the repair and growth of our economy, this scheme will raise our international profile and accelerate further investment across a range of key sectors. The regeneration story of our quayside continues and now more than ever we need to look towards our future.”
