VIDEO | The future of Newcastle: regeneration, innovation, and culture
Newcastle is going through an incredibly exciting time and this roundtable, convened by Eldon Square, brought together some of the city’s leading figures shaping the future of the city through retail, sport, culture, education, placemaking, and inward investment.
It hasn’t been long since devolution in the North East, and against this backdrop Newcastle is rapidly changing and evolving to suit modern day needs. Retail is becoming more leisure-led, regeneration is rife, sport is king, and music is having a real moment.
With institutions like the Mercury Awards and destinations such as Freight Island coming to town, the sense of optimism in Newcastle is at all time high. The roundtable brought together a fantastic panel of women from a wide range of sectors, and the conversation ranged from the impact of innovation, culture, regeneration and identity of a place, to the scale of ambition for the city.
So what does regeneration look like in Newcastle, and what does the city need next?
Michelle Percy, director of investment and growth at Newcastle City Council, said: “We are Newcastle, and we are really unique and different, and that’s what we’ve got to celebrate.
“In order to keep succeeding, we need to have the baseline of the businesses and the investors that are bringing in both retail and food & beverage, right across the city, and we have to continue to invest in our infrastructure.”
Kelly Gleadlow, director of communications at NGI, highlighted the city’s collaborative spirit and significant ongoing investment: “I think Newcastle has its own city ecosystem that works together… you can visibly see lots of change happening. I don’t know another city centre that has £6bn in development happening anywhere else in the UK.”
As well as investment in infrastructure and regeneration, Erin Peart, director of estates and facilities at Newcastle University, noted the city’s assets in terms of its people and the high level of academic achievement in the region: “We’ve got the biggest Research Triangle in the whole of the UK, outside of London, between Newcastle, Northumbria, and Durham. We’ve got loads of things that we should be singing about.”
Newcastle’s success in attracting international brands and the impact of events like the MOBOs and football matches on the city’s profile were also key topics, with the retail, leisure, and F&B scene credited with bringing a lively atmosphere to the city centre, for both residents and visitors.
Helen Cowie, centre director for Eldon Square, agreed: “We stay really connected with what our customers are telling us, whether that’s residential customers in the Newcastle area or visiting customers.
“We have got some really exciting things coming up, whether that’s Freight Island or Flight Club, and that’s going to bring a brilliant leisure and later-night economy as well. Eldon Square is absolutely a hub, and acts as a brilliant centre for Newcastle city.”
Participants
- Erin Peart, director of estates and facilities, Newcastle University
- Helen Cowie, centre director, Eldon Square
- Insiyah Kushnood, development director, igloo Regeneration
- Kelly Gleadlow, director of communications, Newcastle Gateshead Initiative
- Kitty Vaughan, head of F&B and leisure, Pradera Lateral
- Michelle Percy, director of investment and growth, Newcastle City Council
- Steph Edusei, chief executive, St Oswald’s Hospice
- Su Cumming, head of women’s football, NUFC
More information
You can hear highlights from the roundtable in the video at the top of this article, as well as on the Place North YouTube channel. Learn more about Eldon Square.
