The grand vision for Gateshead Quays has been unveiled by Gateshead Council, development partners Ask Real Estate, PATRIZIA and world-renowned architects HOK.
The ambitious image shows how the 3.84 hectare site will be transformed to incorporate a £250 million state-of-the-art, 12,500 seat entertainment arena, a convention and exhibition centre as well as hotels, bars, restaurants and extensive public realm.
Gateshead Quays, one of seven schemes officially backed by the Department for International Trade, has the potential to hold major music and cultural events, as well as conferences and exhibitions. It is anticipated to support over 1,140 jobs with well over half being newly created. Attracting an extra 296,000 visitors to the region it’s estimated to boost the regional economy by over £30 million annually in future years.
The masterplan proposes that the development will connect the waterfront to the town centre and is the missing piece of the jigsaw creating a destination that will draw people across the Gateshead Millennium Bridge. Acting as a catalyst for the regeneration of the wider quays area including the 14 hectares at Baltic Quarter.
Cllr Martin Gannon, Gateshead Council Leader, has described the vision as “hugely exciting” and said: “Gateshead Quayside speaks for itself but there are still things to be done. What would you put between Norman Foster’s Sage Gateshead, BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art and the Gateshead Millennium Bridge? It needs to be as innovative and striking as the suite of visionary waterfront developments that have went before so together with our development partners and architects HOK, we have come up with this. It is one of the most exciting development opportunities in the UK today I think it’s absolutely the right thing to do in this location. This is a gamechanger not just for Gateshead but for the region.”
Speaking on behalf of Ask and PATRIZIA Daniel Williams, Head of Development at PATRIZIA UK said: “Gateshead Quays is a great opportunity to work with Gateshead Council to create an exemplar development, one that fits ideally in our strategy of investing in significant mixed-use schemes in important regional centres.
“We are really excited to be involved in delivering the first phase of this flexible masterplan that will have a hugely positive impact on this strategic site, creating another appealing destination for the area.”
John Rhodes, Director of sport and entertainment at HOK said: “With one the most amazing river sites in Europe the Quays project offers a unique opportunity to combine existing facilities such as the Sage Gateshead, in an exceptional new event and entertainment destination. We are delighted to be working with Ask, PATRIZIA and Gateshead Council on such an ambitious, and ground-breaking project.”
Gateshead Council are continuing to work with their development partners with planning applications predicted to be submitted early in the new year.
