Momentum is building at Founders Place, a mixed use development in the heart of Newcastle, where plans are progressing to deliver new workplaces, homes and public spaces.
A talented multi-disciplinary team – AHMM Architects, Plan IT, Arup, Avison Young and RBA – has been appointed by developer igloo Regeneration to deliver One Founders Place, a visionary office scheme located at a key gateway to the wider £137 million Founders Place development.
The striking ten-storey building will offer c.130,000 sq. ft sustainable, Grade A office space designed to foster wellbeing and productivity and is located close to the site of George and Robert Stephenson’s pioneering locomotive works, where the world’s first purpose-built engine factory was established in 1823. Designed by RIBA Stirling Prize-winning practice Allford Hall Monaghan Morris (AHMM), One Founders Place will offer high-quality, open plan, contemporary office space with multiple outdoor terraces offering panoramic views across the cityscape. It will be one of the most significant and exciting additions to Newcastle’s office supply in the last decade.
Progress is also advancing at the neighbouring Orchard Yard, where enabling works – including the clearance and remediation of disused structures – are now well underway. Here, a second newly appointed design team – Faulkner Browns, Camlin, BGP, Desco, and heritage consultant Sarah Dyer – will develop the next phase of plans for the residential scheme that will introduce new family homes, apartments and green public spaces into the city centre.
Supported by One Public Estate brownfield funding, the Orchard Yard project will bring new purpose to the derelict land that has long been closed to the public, while supporting the city’s housing and sustainability ambitions.
These latest milestones build on the successful partnership between igloo and Newcastle City Council, which previously delivered the regeneration of the neighbouring Pattern Shop – now home to online retail bank Atom, following the relocation of its 600 employees.
The wider Founders Place redevelopment is being delivered through a joint venture between igloo and Newcastle City Council – and sits within the Stephenson Quarter urban regeneration area. The broader masterplan combines contemporary new housing, high-quality office and creative workspaces, with accessible urban courtyards; all complemented by temporary uses such as pop-up markets and art trails that foster community engagement and support local enterprise.
Insi Khushnood of igloo said: “Founders Place continues to move forward with real momentum. Together with our partners and Newcastle City Council, we’re helping to unlock the next chapter in this area’s long industrial story – one that connects heritage with innovation and sustainable growth for the city.
“Across every part of the development, from new homes coming to Orchard Yard to the successful restoration of the Pattern Shop, our focus is on quality, community and environmental responsibility. Founders Place will be a lasting legacy for Newcastle – one that brings people together and continues the city’s tradition of design and engineering excellence.”
Igloo has played a central role in shaping Newcastle’s ongoing city centre transformation. With its heritage-led, community-focused approach, it has pioneered inclusive and sustainable development across the city. Previous schemes include The Malings and Lower Steenbergs Yard as part of the wider Ouseburn regeneration. Previously a post-industrial wasteland, Ouseburn Valley has now been coined one of the ‘coolest neighbourhoods’ in the UK since its transformation, fast becoming a cultural quarter of Newcastle.
Deputy leader of Newcastle City Council, Cllr Alex Hay, who has responsibility for planning, said: “Founders Place is a transformational mixed-use development site within an Accelerated Development Zone that is also an important employment site for the city.
“We’ve already seen exciting developments, not least the relocation of the bank Atom into the Pattern Shop with over 500 jobs which is fantastic for the local economy. Now that our development partner igloo has appointed a design team for Orchard Yard, I look forward to new houses and apartments being built on that site.
“Plans for One Founders Place, a 10-storey office block, will go before planning committee in the coming months, and although it will be subject to the rigours of the planning process, it’s great to see things progressing.”
Planning for One Founders Place is expected to be submitted in the spring of 2026 with tenant enquiries being handled by Knight Frank. Plans for Orchard Yard are anticipated to be submitted in the summer of next year.
