Cabinet thumbs-up for Gateshead Town Hall regen
With council support now confirmed, developer Capital&Centric will work towards detailed plans and a consultation later this year as it looks to turn the grade two-listed building and surrounds into a modern neighbourhood.
Once the local authority’s headquarters until the chamber, civic suite and council offices were relocated to the new civic centre in 1987, the building and surrounding surface car parks are set to become a thriving neighbourhood with cafes, bars, restaurants and lush green spaces.
Gateshead Council’s cabinet has this week agreed to work with the Manchester-headquartered developer, which is busy on regeneration projects in locations including Sheffield, Stockport and Stoke-on-Trent.
John Moffat, joint managing director at Capital&Centric said: “We’ve got an exciting opportunity to create something really special here at the Old Town Hall. We’re really chuffed to see the Council share our enthusiasm as we continue to develop a detailed vision for the neighbourhood.
“The building is full of history and oozes character, which gives us the opportunity to create some really unique homes. We all know town and city centres are changing but this will inject new life into the area, bringing people to live and visit and regenerating a key town centre site.”
Consultation will take place this year. Credit: via Font
Cllr Leigh Kirton, cabinet member for economy and communications at Gateshead Council, said: “Yesterday, Cabinet confirmed our plans to work with Capital&Centric to redevelop the much-loved Old Town Hall — an important step forward for this historic building and for Gateshead Town Centre.
“This is a fantastic opportunity to bring the Grade II listed building back to life by creating new homes right in the heart of Gateshead and to transform the surrounding area into a welcoming neighbourhood with cafes and green spaces designed for the everyone to enjoy. This development is a key part of our wider regeneration plans for the town centre, helping us to create a vibrant, thriving place for people to live, work and visit.
“We’re looking forward to working closely with Capital&Centric to ensure this project becomes something everyone in Gateshead can be proud of.”
The development will be part of the wider regeneration of the town, which Capital&Centric has made clear it wants to play its part in, with the potential to branch out to different sites in the area.
Among projects elsewhere, C&C is advancing plans to convert a Newcastle-under-Lyme car park into homes, and is also behind the redevelopment of Sheffield’s Cannon brewery, once home to Stones bitter.
The firm has eight live construction sites at present, and has recently announced its biggest project to date – delivering 2,000 homes for the UK’s largest new town, Northstowe in Cambridgeshire.
