issue six: spring 2010
NewcastleGateshead’s regeneration magazine
Inside: 1NG, Science Central, Baltic Business Quarter Scotswood and Ouseburn...
www.renaissancenewcastle.com
Pilgrim Street Newcastle The Heart of a Great Northern City
working in partnership with
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NewcastleGateshead
46 NewcastleGateshead’s regeneration magazine issue six: spring 2010
Claire McDonnell claire.mcdonnell@newcastle.gov.uk For 1NG
Nicola Short nicolashort@1ng.org.uk For Gateshead Council Andrew Tate andrewtate@gateshead.gov.uk
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For Newcastle City Council
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Executive editor Kirsty MacAulay Features editor Alex Aspinall Art director Terry Hawes Designer Anita Govinden Production manager Rachael Schofield Advertisement sales Paul Gussar Managing director Toby Fox Printed by Manson Images Newcastle City Council, Gateshead Council, E:ON UK, Nissan, NewsCast, Nexus, Des Brady, Newcastle University Business School, Newcastle Gateshead Initiative, Steve Mayes on behalf of 1NG, Downings Developments
05 Round-up The lowdown on all the regeneration news from the area
35 S cience City We find out what the benefits are to having Science City status
09 I n pictures Illustrating what NewcastleGateshead’s regeneration has achieved so far
39 H ousing Major schemes are planned and in place to deliver thousands of new homes
NewcastleGateshead’s regeneration magazine
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Cover image
The Sage Gateshead © 3Fox International Limited 2010. All material is strictly copyright and all rights are reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without the written permission of 3Fox International Limited is strictly forbidden. The greatest care has been taken to ensure the accuracy of information in this magazine at time of going to press, but we accept no responsibility for omissions or errors. The views expressed in this magazine are not necessarily those of 3Fox International Limited or Newcastle City Council, 1NG and Gateshead Council. Published by 189 Lavender Hill London SW11 5TB T: 020 7978 6840 Subscriptions and feedback www.renaissancenewcastle.com
14 M arkets Important statistics and facts and figures for NewcastleGateshead 16 P rojects A look at the major projects on both sides of the river
44 T alking heads We get opinions on the twin-city and its future ambitions 46 Q uality of life Just why is NewcastleGateshead the place to be?
30 1 NG What are the plans for the newly formed city development company? 0
Cooper’s Studios, a truly inspirational environment.
Unique, contemporary office space In the heart of the City of Newcastle, available to rent now on a floor by floor basis or as a whole.
The redevelopment protects and preserves important historical features whilst allowing us to provide one of the most technically advanced buildings in the city.
All floors are open plan and are arranged around a spectacular central atrium. Ground Floor 522 sqm First Floor 461 sqm Second Floor 531 sqm Total 1,514 sqm
COOPER’S STUDIOS
A Grade II listed building, designed by Ryder Architecture for the way we work now.
www.coopersstudios.co.uk
A development by
THE HANRO GROUP 0191 223 5700 www.dtz.com
round-up: What’s new, hot and happening in NewcastleGateshead
Green glory
Newcastle has been named Britain’s greenest city by the Forum for the Future. The think tank looked at 20 UK cities exploring air quality, wildlife, waste collection, residents’ views and quality of life to determine who was top – Newcastle claimed fourth place last year. Forum for the Future’s chief executive Peter Madden said: “Cities with an industrial heritage face genuine challenges, but Newcastle’s
success shows that it is possible to overcome the legacy of the past and perform well on many measures of sustainability.” The forum’s Sustainable Cities Index 2009 applauds Newcastle’s Sustainable Community Strategy 2008-2011, which states: “Our economic growth will not have been achieved at the expense of our environment – Newcastle in 2021 will be a sustainable city with excellent air
quality, low waste levels, low carbon emissions and high recycling rates.” And developers are buying into the concept too, over 46sq m of roof space at Eldon Square Shopping Centre’s new mall has been cultivated as a green roof with plants generating pollen and nectar to attract wildlife. The green space is already working – two families of bats have taken up residence on the roof.
Shoppers’ paradise NewcastleGateshead has long held the crown of the North East’s top shopping destination and things have just got a whole lot better on both sides of the river. Eldon Square’s £170 million redevelopment is now complete and the doors to the new St Andrew’s Way mall were opened on 16 February. The development has increased the size of the shopping centre from 90,600sq m to nearly 131,000sq m providing space for a four-storey Debenhams, the UK’s largest New Look store and the city’s first Apple shop. Eldon Square’s centre manager expects a significant increase in visitor numbers to the newly developed centre, which already welcomes 30 million shoppers a year. Meanwhile, across the river, Gateshead’s Metrocentre has undergone a £45 million modernisation programme creating Metrocentre
Qube. The mall introduces a new leisure and dining element as well as a bowling alley, the fastest dodgem track in Europe and a new Odeon cinema which will offer the area’s only IMAX theatre.
“Many of Metrocentre’s restaurants have out-performed their targets since opening” 0
round-up continued
Planning ahead
Developer Forum
NewcastleGateshead’s newly formed city development company 1NG is working on an economic and spatial strategy for NewcastleGateshead. The 1PLAN brings together 1NG, Newcastle City Council, Gateshead Council and One North East with the key aim of setting out a blueprint for the economic development and the physical regeneration for NewcastleGateshead. Although NewcastleGateshead has benefited from favourable economic conditions over the past decade and has achieved significant growth in both employment and GVA there are a number of areas where it currently fails to meet its potential. The 1PLAN will focus on the following areas; the development of specialisms and business clusters, the need to improve skill levels, encourage entrepreneurship along with bringing investment into key development sites. The 1PLAN will incorporate a 20-year vision for NewcastleGateshead. This vision will be achieved through Four Big Moves:
The Discovery Museum was the venue for the latest Developers Forum organised by Newcastle City Council and Renaissance Magazine on 1 October 2009. The event featured speeches by Jim McIntyre, the new chief executive of city development company 1NG and Newcastle City Council’s chief executive Barry Rowland. Some of the city’s most prominent executives also talked about the city’s future illustrating the exciting regeneration projects taking place in the city and outlining its future developments and opportunities. Almost 200 people attended the networking evening supported by Your Homes Newcastle, 1NG and Nexus. Attendees included developers, architects, engineers and others involved in the development community.
1. Grow the knowledge economy 2. Develop skills and
attract talent
3. Transform the urban core 4. Pioneering sustainable urbanism.
rock steady Newcastle City Council has bought the Northern Rock tower in Gosforth for £22 million. The seven-storey 11,000sq m glass tower has been leased to local environmental support company Eaga to accommodate its 2,500 staff. The building has been renamed Partnership House. 0
Northern Design Work has started on the Northern Design Centre a joint venture between Terrace Hill, One North East and Gateshead Council. The latest addition to the Baltic Business Quarter will provide a design hub for the area’s creative businesses. The £13 million, four-storey, 4,000sq m facility, designed by Red Box Design Group, will accommodate Design Network North as well as providing flexible office space for design companies. It is anticipated the project will be complete by spring 2011.
Modernised Metro
The £600 million Metro reinvigoration programme is running full steam ahead. The £20 million redevelopment of the station at Haymarket was completed in February 2010. The programme has received £12.9 million of government funding to install new ticket machines and barriers across the network to replace the existing coin-only machines.
Award-winning design Newcastle’s City Library won a clutch of awards at the annual Public Library Authorities Conference. The landmark building, designed by Ryder Architects and developed by Kajima, won the main prize for innovation for its interior design and use of new technologies. It also won the Mary Finch Accessibility Award for the way it addressed access issues and cultural barriers and after coming top in a shortlist of libraries in the UK it also gained the Delegates’ Choice Award.
Global Gateshead
Streets ahead
Gateshead Technology Innovation (G-ti) is bringing a new world of opportunity to Gateshead’s business community. The super fast broadband provision for the Baltic Business Quarter was launched in November 2009 by Gateshead Council in a joint venture with Alcatel-Lucent. The network improves broadband speeds to 10 gigabits per second with a capability of delivering speeds of up to 40 gigabits per second to meet future demand and enable businesses to use new technologies and applications. Councillor Mick Henry said: “This has been such an exciting project to have been involved with. Gateshead Council is delighted to be at the forefront of broadband technology and leading the way by being the first local authority to go live with a project like this. We are confident G-ti will help local businesses perform on a global level and encourage them to embrace new technologies that will keep them ahead of their game.”
Baltic Place The glass towers of BALTIC PLACE ON Gateshead’s Quayside are home to 1NG, NEPIA, NewcastleGateshead Initiative and the banking group Santander. New tenants moved into the £35 million office space before the end of 2009. Baltic Place is a joint-venture project between Robertson Developments and City and Northern providing 12,000sq m of office space across two 11-storey glass buildings.
Grey Street in Newcastle won the Great Street Award at the Academy of Urbanism Awards 2010. Grey Street faced competition from New Road in Brighton and Arcades in Cardiff but won outright. Grainger Town won the Urbanism Award for Great Neighbourhood in 2008.
Opening BID ESTABLISHED IN APRIL 2009, NE1 is among the UK’s largest Business Improvement District delivery companies. The organisation, which has a brief to implement changes designed to enhance Newcastle’s city centre, has already delivered its successful Street Ranger programme, as well as an initiative designed to improve pedestrian wayfinding in the north of the city and a series of informative Pocket Parks, designed to assist both visitors and residents. 0
New build scheme brings many benefits for tenants Your Homes Newcastle is giving tenants the opportunity to move into homes that are better equipped to suit their needs. The first of these schemes has just been completed in Throckley. This scheme has seen YHN work closely with older residents, leading to the development of 10 bungalows that have been built for those that no longer need larger homes and instead will benefit from the move to a smaller, more accessible property. As tenants move on, families have then been rehoused in the vacant three bedroomed properties, thus enabling families to enjoy a better quality of life. The new build, high spec bungalows, which each include a fitted kitchen, living room, two bedrooms and bathroom, are proving popular with older tenants who find that the transition to the smaller property is much more suited to their lifestyle requirements. Your Homes Newcastle is continuing to work with Newcastle City Council to explore new ways in which much-needed, quality homes can be delivered in Newcastle upon Tyne. Work has started on the next four schemes which are a balance between general needs and supported living. These schemes will provide more family housing, more bungalows and unique facilities for young families and people with learning difficulties.
For more information visit our website at www.yhn.org.uk or email communicationsteam@yhn.org.uk The Derbyshire family in their new three bedroom home.
in pictures feature
Moving on NewcastleGateshead has come a long way from its industrial past. Kirsty MacAulay looks at the latest attractions
0
feature in pictures Previous page: The new £26 million Great North Museum was designed by Terry Farrell and Partners. The development was led by Newcastle University in partnership with Tyne and Wear Museums, Newcastle City Council, the Natural History Society of Northumbria and the Society of Antiquities of Newcastle.
Above: Baltic Place sets the bar high for office development in Gateshead. The buildings, designed by Space Architecture, offer 12,000sq m of grade A, BREEAM excellent office space overlooking the Quayside and River Tyne. The site was developed by South Shore Developments Limited, a joint venture by City and Northern and Robertson Developments.
10
Right: Newcastle’s new library takes pride of place in the city centre. The £40 million glassfronted building, designed by Ryder Architects and developed by Kajima, opened in June 2009 and has already won several awards. The library was officially opened by the Queen on 6 November 2009, and has welcomed 500,000 visitors since June.
11
feature in pictures Left: Metro’s new £20 million Haymarket station was completed by developer Closegate in February 2010. The four-storey building, designed by Reid Jubb Brown architects, replaces the original single-storey station and houses not only the upgraded Metro station but also 6,000sq m of office space as well as retail units and a restaurant/bar.
Right: Cooper’s Studios, which dates back to 1897, was originally a showroom for horses and carriages and has been sympathetically redesigned by local architects Ryder and developed by HANRO Group to create new office space. n
12
METRO
We’re investing more than £300m in...
Jobs Education Retail Leisure modernising Tyne and Wear Metro nexus.org.uk
feature markets
Newcastle and Gateshead’s
Vital statistics 464,200 population of
NewcastleGateshead
Newcastle International Airport has around
150 flights per day to destinations such as Dubai, Paris, Rome, Canada, Mexico and Egypt
Train times from Newcastle: Edinburgh Manchester London Birmingham Newcastle Airport
1h 25 2h 25 2h 45 3h 22 mins
What the papers say
The North East has the
“The new capital of Britain”
in the country
NewcastleGateshead
lowest commuting time
The Times
“One of the most compelling and effervescent places in the country” The Guardian
14 renaissance
NewcastleGateshead’s workforce population is
263,500
markets feature
Number of students Newcastle University 18,878 Northumbria University 26,508 Gateshead College 13,000 Newcastle College 30,000 Total students 88,386
Tourism in the region is worth
£3.8 billion per annum and employs more than
64,000 people
Newcastle is the UK’s greenest city
Newcastle is the North East’s only Science City
(Forum for the Future 2009)
3.85 million visitors to the North East in 2008
Average house price £164,230 Detached £273,990 Semi-detached £160,531 Terrace £165,450 Flat £120,114
Metrocentre 144,146sq m of retail Eldon Square 131,000sq m of retail Antony Gormley’s Angel of the North was voted UK’s most recognised landmark in 2008 (National Lottery)
(Source BBC: June 2009)
Employment. sectors. An in-depth look at Newcastle and Gateshead’s employment sectors
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NewcastleGateshead
Eldon Square p24
Science Central p20
Northern Rock Tower p22 Stanhope Street p21
Stephenson Quarter p28
Project update An in-depth look at the regeneration projects shaping NewcastleGatesheadâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s renaissance 16
site map
East Pilgrim Street p19
Ouseburn p22
Gateshead Quays p24
Baltic Business Quarter p27
Northern Design Centre p23
Gateshead centre p27
17
Haymarket Hub Newcastle upon Tyne Start on site May 2007 Developed by Closegate A Joint Development by Closegate, Tolent and 42nd Street Realty Ltd.
closegate
Alderman Fenwick's House, 98 -100 Pilgrim Street, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 6SQ 0191 211 2700 info@closegate.com
project update
East Pilgrim Street
Few projects taking place in Newcastle city centre are as significant to the city’s future as the redevelopment of the East Pilgrim Street site, the 17hectare area of land adjoining the city’s retail core. The council has produced an Interim Planning Guidance (IPG) document. The IPG was issued in July 2009 and is designed to guide development in the area pending further consultation and adoption of the Core Strategy and City Centre Area Action Plan. Proposals following these guidelines are welcomed. The emphasis here is on ensuring the regenerated mixed-use East Pilgrim Street complements the city centre, something the council regards as a primary regeneration objective. Emma Warneford, senior planning officer at Newcastle City Council, explains: “A retail-led, mixed-use development in the north east of this area would mean we could link it back in with the existing retail offer in the city. That is the key aspect. The area is quite isolated at the minute and we want to reintegrate it with the rest of the city centre. “Any major city centre scheme of this scale takes time. This is going to be the case here, and we want to get it right. We have to go through a procurement exercise and we intend to get the most out of this scheme’s potential.” For more information email: Emma Warneford at emma.warneford@newcastle.gov.uk
n 17-hectare site n City centre location n Proposals for development welcomed
19
project update
Science Central
The former Scottish and Newcastle brewery site is a very important part of Newcastle’s vision of becoming a world-class Science City over the forthcoming decades. Plans for the site centre around the creation of a mixed-use urban quarter, anchored by science-related activities and businesses as part of the Science City programme. Architects MAKE were selected in October 2009 to lead on the preparation of a masterplan and delivery strategy for the development. Those steering the redevelopment of this hugely significant site are excited by the potential its redevelopment will bring to the city. Colin MacPherson, director of development at city development company 1NG, says: “Science is a very 20
important factor, and an important advantage, in the redevelopment of this site. “It is nine-hectares of city centre space, and even if it wasn’t related to the Science City concept this would be a very important site for the city to bring forward for regeneration. The great advantage is that we have all the scientific and university activity that is going to help us make real progress in redeveloping the land. “The site is currently a vastly under-used resource for the city and there is a clear opportunity to open it up for the benefit of local residents and the surrounding communities.” For more information email: Colin MacPherson at colinmacpherson@1ng.org.uk
project update
n 9-hectare site n MAKE architects n Significant element of Newcastle’s economic development
Stanhope Street
A £1.35 million programme of improvements on Stanhope Street in Newcastle’s West End have eased traffic, introduced lamppost banners and public artworks, and raised the profile of the street with the promise of ‘something for all senses’. The improvements were led by Centre West (formerly New Deal for Communities), and Newcastle City Council. “Stanhope Street has always been full of character, and the changes have given it a real boost,” said Yaqoob Mohammed, a local businessman and member of Centre West’s board. “The street really means business now, and has the look and feel of a competitive retail destination. But some things haven’t changed, like the friendliness of the welcome and the feeling of a close-knit community. Stanhope Street is better placed than ever to attract shoppers from right across Newcastle and the North East.” The improvements include stunning metal sculptures, banners, new railings, planters and litter bins. Pocket parks have created imaginative spaces for residents and shoppers to relax and chat, while drivers and pedestrians are enjoying the benefits of wider parking bays, a giant zebra crossing, eco-friendly paving and an improved road surface. For more information email: Martin Walker at martin.walker@newcastle.gov.uk
n £1.35 million street improvement project
21
project update Ouseburn
Northern Rock tower
The Northern Rock tower in Gosforth, which was purpose built for Northern Rock but had remained empty since its completion in November 2008, has been purchased by Newcastle City Council for £22 million. The 11,000sq m glass tower has been renamed Partnership House and leased to local environmental support company Eaga to accommodate its 1,500 staff. The council will also lease one floor and the Family Health Service Authority will take one and a half floors. Barry Rowland, chief executive of Newcastle City Council, said: “It is important to not just sit back and wait for the upturn to come. We are using our ability to invest to secure and create jobs and stimulate growth in the wider economy and to help the city region through a very challenging time.” Nick Rowley, head of property services, adds: “It is an innovative move – the council saw an opportunity to bring a modern building that was sitting empty back into use and took it.” For more information email: Nick Rowley at nick.rowley@newcastle.gov.uk
n Over 11,000sq m office space n £22 million building
22
Spring 2010 will see NewcastleGateshead’s city development company 1NG going out to market to seek potential development partners for the continued redevelopment of Ouseburn, Newcastle’s thriving creative and cultural quarter. The work focuses on the lower valley where the River Ouseburn meets the Tyne, and includes projects such as the refurbishment of the old Maynards’ Toffee Factory, bringing forward residential development and creating new public spaces, pedestrian links and highway improvement. Land ownership and the strength of the regeneration already in place makes those in charge of Ouseburn’s redevelopment confident in the area’s future. Peter McIntyre, director of planning and programme management at 1NG, says: “There is very little waterfront land in the Ouseburn we don’t own or control. We have a substantial footprint and we can joint-venture develop with partners. The development platform we have established makes the quality against value relationship more achievable. Our aspirations for the area are high. “We are aiming to attract people who are not just looking for any old area; there is a sense of place developing. Ouseburn is very marketable, it’s on the edge of the city centre and is positioned in the direction the city is growing, it will become the new urban quarter in the city.” For more information email: Peter McIntyre at petermcintyre@1ng.org.uk
n Riverfront site to the east of the city centre n 3-5 year focus on the lower valley n Development partners sought
project update
Northern Design Centre
Work has started on the site of the Northern Design Centre, a public private partnership between Terrace Hill, One North East and Gateshead Council. The four-storey building will provide over 4,000sq m of space for creative businesses. It is anticipated the centre will be a design hub – Gateshead Council is keen to encourage this. Ben Strutt at One North East explains: “We have pockets of design and creative excellence across the region, but we need to foster more joined-up working. We need to remove the perceived barriers for businesses working together for mutual benefit, and increase knowledge transfer opportunities especially in science, engineering and technology.
“The Northern Design Centre will raise awareness of design, and visibly demonstrate how use of design services and best practice can improve the competitiveness of any business. “In a regional environment which is also seeing huge investments in science, new and renewable energies, process industries, healthcare, printed electronics, and so on, this is an exciting time to be launching such a catalytic design initiative. We hope the Northern Design Centre will be a shining example of how a broad range of complementary businesses will work together and benefit from being at the heart of such a creative place.” For more information email: Ben Strutt at Ben.strutt@onenortheast.co.uk or Pat Keddie at patkeddie@gateshead.co.uk
n Over 4,000sq m space n A design hub for new creative businesses
23
project update
Gateshead Quays
Eldon Square
The £170 million redevelopment of Newcastle’s Eldon Square shopping centre is now complete. The final phase, the new St Andrew’s Way mall, opened on 16 February. The shopping centre has increased in size from 90,000sq m to 131,000sq m since improvements began in July 2005. The redevelopment has given the shopping centre a new lease of life including a new bus station, the upgrade of Old Eldon Square at the heart of the centre, better access for shoppers and 15 new retail units within St George’s Way and the final phase creating an additional 38,000sq m with space for over 20 large stores. Nick Rowley, head of property services, says: “Newcastle has got a very strong retail offer, the mall is 100% let, which is fantastic. Rents are at a good level and the redevelopment was completed on time and on budget.” For more information email: Nick Rowley at nick.rowley@newcastle.gov.uk
n Over 38,000sq m of additional retail space n Developer – Capital Shopping Centres n Completion – February 2010
24
The development of Gateshead Quays – a prime location, which is home to some of Gateshead’s more prominent new buildings – is taking centre stage in Gateshead’s regeneration. A vision for the creation of an international conference and exhibition centre has been highlighted as one way to drive forward the further regeneration of the Quays. It is anticipated there will be a deliverable masterplan relating to this development by the end of the summer. Mark Robinson, project director at 1NG comments: “Ensuring the new development on the Quays complements what we already have there is of central importance. Part of it is about forming
the right setting for the developments, and it is also about tying the Quays in with the rest of Gateshead centre, which is a challenge. “We need to be clear with the market in showing them the vision that we have set out. It is challenging, when you have such well-established buildings in the area; further regeneration has to be carried out very sensitively, regardless of what shape the development takes.” For more information email Mark Robinson at markrobinson@1NG.org.uk
n Masterplan targeted for summer 2010 n High profile development site n Aspirations to develop a conference and exhibition centre
METNOR LEADS UPPER OUSEBURN REGENERATION
New projects illustrate an impressive commitment by Metnor to the regeneration of this vibrant area The Portland Green development site is situated close to the City Centre adjacent to both Portland Road and Stoddart Street, Shieldfield, Newcastle upon Tyne. Planning approval has been received for a large scale student village with complementary mixed uses. The approval is for 1933 student beds in 9 buildings incorporating retail, cafe/ restaurant and health centre uses. A separate approval also exists for a gateway office building of approximately 3, 800m² on the site. Metnor are currently involved in discussions with potential joint venture partners and hope to be able to commence enabling works during 2010. The master planning has been undertaken by FaulknerBrowns Architects, based in Newcastle upon Tyne.
Winn Studios The scheme embodies many highly sustainable features such as green roofs, solar thermal energy collection to provide hot water to showers, a “living wall” which embodies principles of encouraging local micro climate diversity, habitat creation and retention. The facing materials are a mixture of traditional masonry with high performance render, coloured rainscreen cladding panels and high quality curtain walling systems. The accommodation comprises a range of flatted dwellings for students ranging from traditional, standard five bedroom clusters up to bespoke studio units offering a wide range of choice for the students at Northumbria University. The project is turn-key and includes all fixtures and fittings, including an attractive ground floor entrance and lounge area where students can gather and socialise. It is anticipated that the site will employ over 200 workers at its peak during 2010. The majority of these will be local jobs for local suppliers.
Portland Green Also in Shieldfield, Metnor have obtained planning approval for a 396 student bed scheme on the site of the old Winn Studios. The site was sold to Northumbria University in August 2009 and Metnor Construction Limited are currently on site. Practical completion is on target for the summer of 2011 to enable occupation at the start of 2011 -2012 academic year. The Architect is IDPartnership – Newcastle. Winn Studios Contact: Gerald Hall, Technical Director, Metnor Property Group Ltd 0191 2684000 ghall@metnor.co.uk
St Silas Church & Housing, Byker. St Silas Church, which is Grade II Listed, was built in the heart of the shipbuilding community of Byker on the corner of Clifford Street and Burton Street in 1885/1886 to serve a Parish of 15,000 souls. By 2002 the Parish had declined to 4,500 souls and the congregation to about 25. The terraced streets which once surrounded the Church had been demolished; a new elevated section of the Metro railway and the Shields Road by-pass separated the Church from the new community in the Byker Wall. The Church’s future looked unsustainable when the Parish and Byker Bridge Housing Association (BBHA) decided to collaborate to develop a brief for the Parish’s Architect Anthony Keith Architects. The Church’s objectives were to increase involvement with the surrounding community, make the most of its resources to cut its running costs and create an income for it. BBHA needed new head offices and land for housing. They decided to lease a third of the Church to Byker Bridge Housing Association for their head offices. They wanted to create a new Worship area and a Church Hall with new kitchen and toilets. The old Church Hall, which was a late addition to the Church, would be demolished to restore the original concept and allow the land between the Church and the Metro line to be redeveloped as housing for single homeless people. The existing High Altar was to be removed and the floor level of the Nave maintained right through, to provide a less hierarchical and more flexible Worship space and a level approach for people with disabilities. New heating and lighting was required together with a PA and induction loop system.
at the West end are as simple as possible so that they do not distract from the splendour of the Nave or attempt to imitate it. Before construction started on the housing a study was undertaken of the noise and vibration levels in the area and a specification developed from it to achieve a noise reduction greater than the standards required in the Building Regulations.
View of the new courtyard to the south of the Church.
The housing scheme which is made up of 19 bedsits and a Wardens bungalow turns its back on the noisy railway and the road and is arranged around a courtyard looking towards the Church. It is at its highest closest to the Metro on the South East side and is at its lowest on the West to allow the maximum amount of sunlight into the courtyard. It also acts as a sound barrier to reduce the noise disturbance in the Church from the by-pass and railway, services can now be held undisturbed by passing trains. This scheme won the Lord Mayors Design Award for Refurbishment & Conservation in 2005, and the RICS Renaissance Award for Community Benefit in 2006. The scheme was also short listed for the National RICS awards in 2006 and received a Special Mention award at the RIBA Hadrian Awards in 2007. The housing has proved very successful particularly with the residents, some stating that the housing and community have changed their lives. The Church has also seen an increase in the congregation and a welcome return of weddings and christenings being held at the Church. The new Church hall is also proving very popular and is usually fully booked providing an income for the Church.
View to the West end of the Church showing the new full height glazed screen and new kitchen and toilet accommodation.
Inside the Church a mezzanine floor was inserted in the North Aisle to double the floor area available to BBHA. This had to be designed to be reversible with minimum impact on the existing structure. The timber coffered ceiling was left exposed as a feature in the offices. The new partition wall between the Church and the new offices includes arched fire resisting windows to remind everyone using the building that it is still a place of Worship. The division between the new Church Hall and the new Worship area is frameless glass to maintain the overall impression of the Nave as one space. The new kitchens and toilets inserted
Contractor: Dorin Construction Hadrian House, Beaminster Way East, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE3 2ER T: 0191 214 0360 F: 0191 214 0578
Anthony Keith Architects Ltd. 19 Lansdowne Terrace, Gosforth, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE3 1HP T: 0191 213 0133 F: 0191 213 5050
Services Engineers: J Humphrey & Partners Prosperous House, Ecclestone Close, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE27 0RX T: 0191 268 1332 F: 0191 268 5851
E: mail@akarchitects.net W: www.akarchitects.net
Quantity Surveyor: Todd Milburn Partnership 150 New Bridge Street, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 2TE T: 0191 230 2100 F: 0191 230 2101
project update Baltic Business Quarter
Terrace Hill is the preferred developer for this 21-hectare site set back from the south bank of the River Tyne. Gateshead’s newest business district will be developed over a 10-year period to provide 139,000sq m of much needed grade A office space. Gateshead Council is keen to attract knowledge-based businesses to the site. Already in-situ are Gateshead College and a new 1,800sq m Open University building. A 2,700sq m office building has also now been completed and a variety of floorspace options
are currently available for potential tenants. Leader of Gateshead Council, Mick Henry says: “Baltic Business Quarter is central to our plans for creating the kind of infrastructure that will attract highly-skilled employment to Gateshead. We are hoping to attract SMEs, especially within the creative and design sector, by providing superbly equipped facilities and securing sustainable economic growth.” For more information email Martin Vickerman at martin.vickerman@terracehill.co.uk
Gateshead centre
n Developer – Terrace Hill n Architect – Red Box Design n 21-hectare site
n Baltic Business Quarter is already benefiting from the installation of G-ti, a high capacity open access network for businesses on the site. The network improves broadband speeds to 10 gigabits per second with a capability of delivering speeds of up to 40 gigabits per second to meet future demand and enable businesses to use new technologies and applications. It provides Baltic Business Quarter’s USP particularly in light of Gateshead Council’s aim to attract knowledge-led businesses to the site.
Central Gateshead offers a redevelopment opportunity unrivalled in scale. Ambitious plans for regeneration will develop it into a 21st century town centre. ‘Fit for a City’, the regeneration delivery strategy created by the council and One North East, focuses on the drivers of creative, independent and niche retailing, new forms of housing, becoming a new urban destination and being ‘green’ physically and sustainably through construction and energy. The council’s aspiration is to attract one developer for the whole, or large elements of the project. It has been assembling sites to facilitate this solution – few UK towns or cities offer a redevelopment opportunity of this scale. Kicking off the regeneration is the 23,000sq m mixed-use scheme at Trinity Square by Spenhill (Tesco’s regeneration arm). For more information email David Leeder at davidleeder@gateshead.gov.uk
n 71-hectares of development n Developer interest welcome
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project update Stephenson Quarter
Developer Silverlink has planning permission for a £200 million development scheme, designed by local architects Space. Work is due to start this spring on the development of a large, mixeduse scheme on the 3.5-hectare site creating a vibrant new living, working and cultural area for the city. The plans include over 27,000sq m of office space, two hotels (a 250-bed Crowne Plaza and a 40-60 bed boutique hotel), a gym, 3,700sq m of retail space, 150 residential units, car park and a centre for creative industries. The first phase of the development will include the four-star Crowne Plaza hotel, two large office blocks creating 18,500sq m of high quality office space and a 321 space multi-storey car park.
n 3.5-hectare site n Mixed-use scheme n Developer – Silverlink n Architects – Space
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New, large public spaces will also be created within the scheme. The development will transform an area of the city set behind the train station, which is currently underutilised and many of the buildings are run-down, unattractive and neglected. Redevelopment of this area is vital. The site is a conservation area containing designated areas of archaeological and cultural heritage. During the 19th century Robert Stephenson’s engineering works, one of the most important industrial buildings in the world, occupied much of the site. Indeed, five of the listed buildings on the site will be redeveloped to accommodate the scheme’s boutique hotel and centre for cultural industries. Councillor Bill Shepherd comments: “The Stephenson
Quarter is rich in the heritage of Newcastle’s industrial past, being the site of Robert Stephenson’s workshops.” Silverlink has worked closely with Newcastle City Council, English Heritage and CABE on the project. For more information email Michelle Percy at michelle.percy@silverlink-uk.com n
Responsible Regeneration At Capital Shopping Centres we believe in long term investment - as we have demonstrated in our partnership with Newcastle City Council. For over thirty years, we have worked successfully together to maintain the Cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s position as one of the countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s top ten shopping destinations. We are a company that takes our responsibilities very seriously. Through our ongoing programme of modernising and remodelling, we aim to provide better facilities, better shopping and more job opportunities. And we do this responsibly so that the whole community benefits, striving to create the best environment, using solutions that will be as good tomorrow as they are today. Capital Shopping Centres - working for a better tomorrow.
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feature 1NG
Come together
After a year of hard work, the day of reckoning is approaching. NewcastleGateshead’s city development company 1NG and its partners are working on the 1PLAN – the future economic strategy for NewcastleGateshead. Julie Mackintosh finds out more
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The plan was being worked up As Renaissance went to press. Although we didn’t manage a sneak preview, 1NG chief executive Jim McIntyre, did explain how 1NG has approached this momentous task: “For the past nine months, we have worked with and on behalf of Newcastle City Council, Gateshead Council, the Homes and Communities Agency and the regional development agency One North East. Our job is primarily to deliver regeneration projects so in essence this will set out our priorities. It is aspirational but our aspirations are founded on economic fact.” Unsurprisingly, there have been challenges. OECD data published in 2006, and updated for the 1PLAN, shows that in terms of output, growth and job creation NewcastleGateshead hasn’t performed as well or developed as quickly as other core cities. And these are trying economic times. “Formation of 1NG was first discussed during 10 years of economic growth. Nearly a year ago we got started in the worst downturn in living memory,” says McIntyre. “You could say we were conceived in a boom and born in a recession.” But that’s not to say McIntyre is painting a
negative picture. In fact the opposite is true – the 1NG team (which has a wealth of commercial experience) is positive, but realistic. The global economic situation might be out of their control, but how they respond to it is most definitely not. The 1PLAN will employ a number of tactics designed to ensure maximum economic return. “Playing to our strengths” may sound like an obvious mantra but targeting areas where NewcastleGateshead already has expertise is the most likely way to deliver results. “We’ve looked at where independent research says we are world-leading,” explains McIntyre noting scientific research as one such area. The Science Central project, arguably the area’s most important regeneration scheme is (among other things) earmarked as a potential hot spot for low carbon technologies, the world acclaimed Centre for Life is continuing to build on its reputation for stem cell research and Newcastle General Hospital with its work on ageing and vitality has also been identified as a growth opportunity. This scientific expertise is just one of the reasons why 1NG is also exploring the possibility for NewcastleGateshead
Left: 1NG’s chief executive Jim McIntyre. Below: Gateshead Quays is the possible location for a conference and exhibition centre.
to have its own conference and exhibition centre. At the moment, there is nowhere to showcase the ground-breaking work being done here and NewcastleGateshead is losing potential conference business to places like Edinburgh. 1NG is taking a similarly practical approach to the development of Ouseburn Valley which, with its vibrant small business base, is well established as the city’s creative and cultural hub. Over the next five years, 1NG aims to build on this strength with the conversion of the former Maynards’ Toffee Factory into a dedicated centre for creative companies, likely to be complete in the next three years. There is also the possibility of adding a residential element to cement Ouseburn’s credentials as an urban village. As McIntyre says, “In the long term we won’t be able to compete on cost. Our competitive advantage will come from promoting employment in knowledge intensive parts of the economy.”
To that end, the team are also focusing their efforts on placemaking. “This is the first time that economic and place matters have been looked at together in the North East,” says McIntyre. “It’s vitally important in the modern economy. Placemaking theories have changed and being located next to a main road just won’t cut it anymore. To attract and consolidate science and knowledge-based economies we have to look at the whole picture, at how NewcastleGateshead can become a more interesting and attractive place.” 1NG wants to develop Gateshead Quays, which encompasses The Sage Gateshead, Gateshead Millennium Bridge and BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art. All are fantastic assets to the region, however, it is acknowledged that more could be done to improve the public space between and around them. Gateshead Quays is also the preferred location for the proposed conference centre. 1NG wants a renewed focus on the urban core, particularly a reversal of the long-term drift of office employment towards the suburbs. “The city centre needs to be at the heart of economic activity. When you consider the really fantastic places around the world they all have great city centres,” says McIntyre. 1NG’s aspiration is to work with others in securing a low carbon future for NewcastleGateshead that alters the equation between economic development and car mileage. But first, of course, projects have to get moving. No easy feat in these difficult times, but 1NG does have an answer: take projects to the market in digestible chunks and invest in infrastructure. Take Science Central, for example. This two million square foot mixed-use scheme with its proposed commercial, retail, leisure, educational and residential elements would always have been developed in segments, but its phasing will now become all the more crucial. The first phase is under way with the construction of the Newcastle University Business School with Downing Developments. A detailed masterplan for the remainder of the site will be completed this summer. “Economic recovery may be slow, public funds are limited and we are not gung ho about timings, but we’re going to be ready with physical projects when the time is right,” says McIntyre. “I really believe success after this recession will be about who is ready to capitalise when the economy picks up.” The 1PLAN will have wider long term objectives around skills, worklessness and schools, however, delivering physical regeneration is 1NG’s primary responsibility. It is, as McIntyre is adamant, a delivery vehicle. Expectations are high and the onus is on the partners to turn strategies into real and tangible results. As McIntyre observes: “The price for doing nothing is that nothing will happen”. n
“You could say we were conceived in a boom and born in a recession”
Get involved! These are exciting times for NewcastleGateshead with big changes happening and in the pipeline. Significant public funding has been secured to regenerate several prime city centre sites. 1NG and partners are currently working to develop the sites together with the commercial development, house building and investment communities. 1NG, the recently created NewcastleGateshead city development company is a private sector led, independent company specifically set up to promote and facilitate the delivery of priority regeneration projects in NewcastleGateshead. For more information on the range of development opportunities in NewcastleGateshead or to get involved in the area’s exciting regeneration programme
Contact...
1NG Jim McIntyre, chief executive 0191 243 5802 jimmcintyre@1NG.org.uk www.1NG.org.uk
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feature 1NG
Q&A with 1NG chairman Lord Charles Falconer:
Q. How did you become involved with 1NG?
Q. How would you assess NewcastleGateshead’s current economic position?
Q. In your opinion, which factors have shaped the city region’s position?
Q. How can a vehicle like 1NG overcome longstanding problems and trends?
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A. I was approached by the 1NG founders about the role and I was very keen to be involved. As a regular visitor to the area over many years, I had seen what has already been achieved with developments like The Sage Gateshead and BALTIC. There were obviously exciting changes ahead and I wanted to help. A. It’s an urban area with lots going for it – a great position, a fabulous population and it’s on the way up. NewcastleGateshead has moved on from the past but it’s yet to find a clearly defined future.
A. For me, size has been the main factor which has held NewcastleGateshead back, but this can be remedied. We have to attract more people to live here. We have to ensure that NewcastleGateshead is a place where people believe they can have a great career, where they want to live and where they want to bring up their children. I think this is happening.
A. By getting all of our partners to agree on an economic masterplan and by delivering it. We can have strategic developments such as Science Central, the international conference and exhibition centre and creative industries at Ouseburn but we need to deliver them. We need to prove this is a city worth investing in and we need to prove ourselves at 1NG.
Q. What is your ultimate ambition for NewcastleGateshead?
A. To be a place where people want to invest and want to live: to be the city of choice.
Q. Realistically, what kind of time frame should be placed on those ambitions?
A. NewcastleGateshead won’t be transformed in five years, it will take longer. But in the next five years things will start to happen with Science Central, with Gateshead Quays and at Ouseburn. Change will happen over time and we will begin to see the effects.
Q. What’s the most common misconception you have encountered about the city region – and before taking on the role, did you share it?
A. No, I’ve always been a keen admirer of NewcastleGateshead. I think the main misconception is that Newcastle and Gateshead can’t work together, that they could never agree. That just isn’t true. There is a realistic understanding, and it ties into what I said about size, that we are at our strongest and most competitive by acting together.
Q. Your background is political and legal, how does this help in your role as chairman?
A. My political experience has helped me to bring and bind people together, while my legal training allows me to focus on delivery and on proving that we deliver what we say we will.
Q. You are famously a very good friend of Tony Blair. Like him are you a Newcastle United fan?
A. Yes I am and we are doing very well at the moment. We might have been relegated from the Premiership last season but we are currently number one in the Championship and I believe it’s an upward trend that will continue. n
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Spanning the country
Priority Sites specialises in the development of new business space in partnership with landowners, regional development agencies, local authorities and businesses. If you wish to discuss opportunities for working with Priority Sites, please contact John Kipling/Tony Staincliffe on 01977 520505 Priority Sites is currently active in the following areas of the North East: Media Exchange, Ouseburn Valley, Newcastle Loadman Street, Elswick, Newcastle Apollo Court, Monkton South Business Park, South Tyneside
www.prioritysites.co.uk A different kind of property development company_
science city feature
The appliance of science Heavy industries made many northern cities what they are today. But the 21st century dictates a need to move on, and Newcastle is leading the way. By Alex Aspinall
Science will play a significant role in the next chapter of Newcastle’s evolution. After being chosen as one of England’s six Science Cities in 2005, on the strength of the research work taking place at its universities and the potential growth that exists in the city, work has started to ensure Newcastle establishes itself as one of the world’s leading cities of science and research, specialising in three specific areas; energy and the environment, ageing and health and stem cell and regenerative medicine. Each of the Science Cities – Newcastle, York, Manchester, Nottingham, Birmingham and Bristol – aims to capitalise on the existing expertise in their area and to encourage the formation of new businesses, innovations and ideas. Success in these two key objectives will see the cities in question make an increasingly important contribution to the world’s science community and a significant improvement in the skills set and economies of the sub-regions in which they sit. In order to rationalise the progression towards these aims Newcastle City Council, regional development agency One North East and Newcastle University have formed
Newcastle Science Company, which is to oversee the Science City project. Newcastle’s Science City status is a hugely important opportunity for the city. Essentially it is about positioning the city to gain economic growth over the coming decades, part of the economic plan. This highlights the importance of creating jobs in the knowledge economy, moving further away from the manufacturing base that provided jobs historically. Science City is trying to develop these sectors and these industries so we can have a strong employment base going forward, and to allow economic growth for the region. The council recognises the relevance of science to Newcastle’s future. Councillor Bill Shepherd says: “The Science City initiative concentrates on our scientific and engineering ambitions. Working with the city’s two excellent universities and the NHS, Newcastle aims to be the heart of another industrial revolution in new emerging technology sectors, so one might say that the legacy of technical innovation is moving up the road from Stephenson’s workshops to the new Science City.” Newcastle is to specialise in three specific areas
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feature science city of work: energy and the environment, ageing and health, and stem cell and regenerative medicine. These areas not only represent the city’s main strengths in the sector but have also been identified as areas with global significance and, importantly, attractive commercial potential.
Skills and Business
“Newcastle Science City aims to create 500 new high growth companies by 2025”
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An emphasis is being placed on developing the city’s relevance in these areas, which means improving the skill set in the city, as well as increasing the number of companies looking for people with these skills. Newcastle Science City aims to create 500 new high growth companies by 2025. This ambitious target shows how important science is going to be to the city, and the work of the newly formed Newcastle Innovation Machine (NIM) will contribute significantly towards realising this vision. The NIM is an initiative designed to help establish science-related businesses by using market need as the starting point. Where a need is highlighted or improvement could be made to a
business model, the NIM will provide the perfect conditions for entrepreneur’s ideas to grow and turn into successful businesses. By removing some of the risk associated in setting up a new business, and by providing assistance and support, the city will soon play host to a growing number of scientific organisations. And in turn, this will create an increased need for skilled people in the city. Peter Arnold, chief executive of Science City, says: “Economic prosperity goes hand-in-hand with an improvement in the skills available, so one of Newcastle Science City’s primary aims is to attract more people into science, technology, engineering and maths careers, and to retain those professionals within successful institutions and businesses, in the region. “Newcastle University is absolutely central to that aim. It already attracts more transport research funding than any other university in Europe and last year was in the top ten of UK universities attracting UK Research Council Awards. Part of Newcastle Science City’s role will be to ensure the university is
attracting more research income, more students, plus more commercial opportunities to apply research into the core markets of ageing and health, energy and the environment and stem cell and regenerative medicine.” This emphasis on partnership working underpins the Science City vision, and fortunately the city of Newcastle is already well versed in and able to deliver when it comes to cross-agency co-operation. It can already be seen at play across the city, with projects such as the £300 million upgrade of the Metro system, and the work to be undertaken creating Science Central, Newcastle’s new complex to be devoted to the promotion and support of sustainability research and enterprise. The collaboration of the local authority with the regional development agency and the university is very important because it creates the link between the academic arena and the bodies tasked with economic development in the city. Bringing them together is hugely important, and for Science Central in particular it is a vital means of making sure the development happens in a co-ordinated and well-planned way.
Energy and Environment Newcastle’s focus on energy and the environment suits its science theme. Autumn 2009 saw the city gain nationwide recognition, when the annual Forum for the Future report highlighted Newcastle as the greenest city in the UK, rising from fourth place the previous year. The country’s most comprehensive sustainability audit evaluates a city’s performance against 13 key indicators. Newcastle’s success is reward for the investments made. The city was chosen as one of eight to contribute to a unique national project, trialling electric vehicles. The Ultra Low Carbon Vehicle Demonstrator Project saw 35 electric vehicles take to
Newcastle’s streets. The city’s involvement underlines its commitment to the need for environmentally responsible solutions to modern life. Another project underlining the city’s role in this area of development are the ambitious plans to bring around 10,000 jobs to the River Tyne, as the area is developed into a world-leading hub for renewable energy and sub-sea industries. Plans are in place for the creation of a manufacturing centre for offshore wind turbines at Walker, and further projects and developments in the area will help ensure the North East’s position as a world leader in sustainability. The city economy is set to gain, it can look forward to a more highly skilled workforce, and its global relevance is also set to skyrocket. Arnold explains: “Ultimately, Newcastle Science City will help create an innovation ecosystem that provides direct specialist business support helping businesses to grow and, importantly, be retained within the region. We will be pushing for an international reputation for developing and commercialising technology within industry, which leads to the expansion of existing indigenous industry, higher levels of inward investment and much higher levels of spin-out company formation.” Colin MacPherson, director of development at city development company 1NG, is looking forward to this, highlighting it as a new era for the city. He says: “It is probably fair to say it is a new chapter in Newcastle’s history. The city has made some major in-roads into reshaping itself, and it has a good identity and brand presence as a tourism and cultural destination. And that will now continue and develop into new areas, with new sources of employment coming forward.” n
Newcastle’s science focus has three main themes: n Energy and the environment n Ageing and health n Stem cell and regenerative medicine
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Thriving communities, affordable homes The Homes and Communities Agency, or HCA, is the single, national housing and regeneration agency for England. We bring together the development and regeneration expertise of English Partnerships, investment functions of the Housing Corporation, and the Academy for Sustainable Communities, with major delivery programmes of Communities and Local Government. Our role is to create opportunity for people to live in high quality, sustainable places. We provide funding for affordable housing, bring land back into productive use and improve quality of life by raising standards for the physical and social environment. Our priorities for the North East are to: � Invest to deliver new and affordable homes in partnership with local authorities, registered social landlords and the private sector � Work with public sector partners to deliver new infrastructure � Work with developers, registered social landlords and local authorities to assist in comprehensive estate development and renewal � Unlock surplus public sector land and brownfield sites for housing developments. This will include former coalfield sites and surplus NHS land � Maintain a strong investment programme to support quality, design and environmental standards and encourage the development of new schemes for affordable housing. For more information on how we can help you create thriving communities, please visit:
homesandcommunities.co.uk/northeast
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housing feature
Home town A raft of new housing is set to transform Newcastle and Gateshead’s residential offer. David Quinn investigates
Despite the economic downturn that knocked housing values and sent many developers into crisis over the last few years, demand for housing in many UK cities remains strong. In both Newcastle and Gateshead, local councils are working with public and private sector partners to deliver housing-led regeneration and there are major opportunities for private sector developers to get involved. In its 2006 housing strategy, Newcastle City Council committed to building 15,000 new homes by 2021, including 9,000 with three or four bedrooms, in order to meet the needs of local families. And earlier this year, eight new council-backed bungalows were unveiled at Kenton Road in Gosforth – the first new council housing in Newcastle for more than 20 years. This project – and six others, providing 60 new homes – are being delivered in partnership with the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) and Your Homes Newcastle (YHN), the arm’s length organisation that manages the council’s housing stock. YHN will provide 460 new housing units over the next five years. According to John Lee, YHN’s chief executive, it is important that new affordable housing is developed in Newcastle: “There has been a dramatic shift in the market over the
last three years, we are seeing more people wanting affordable homes to rent. “We also identified a gap in the market for supported provision for young families. We have two schemes ready to start on-site in the supported sector.” Brian O’Doherty, head of housing development at Newcastle City Council, adds: “Newcastle’s housing strategy is not only about housing, but also about housing supporting future economic growth and the overall regeneration of the city.” The new housing being built by YHN and other providers will help create much needed construction related jobs for local people as well as training and apprenticeship opportunities. Newcastle’s West End was once the city’s industrial heartland but change is afoot thanks to a range of ambitious regeneration projects. “In the current climate it’s even more important for the public sector to show flexibility, drive and imagination and keep regeneration moving,” says Martin
Walker, area programme director at Newcastle City Council. “We are tackling complex physical, economic and social issues – the best way to do that is by working in partnership with communities, voluntary groups, the private sector and public sector partners.” A major chunk of the west end of Newcastle’s new supply will be delivered at Scotswood. This £400 million, 15-year scheme will eventually comprise 1,800 distinctive new homes designed by a range of internationally acclaimed architects. “With the Scotswood masterplan in place, the next challenge is to translate it into delivery on the ground,” says Walker. “A new economic situation means we have to be flexible how we deliver our strategy. The council is taking more of a leading role in infrastructure and site preparation, to maintain momentum and get the site ready for development.” Across the Tyne in Gateshead, the need for new housing is no less
“In the current climate it’s even more important for us to show flexibility, drive and imagination” 39
housing feature
acute. And housing is a key element of Gateshead Council’s long-term vision, Gateshead 2030. The council is in the process of selecting a partner for a new £1 billion joint venture vehicle (JVV), to deliver 2,500 homes on 19 sites during the next 15-20 years. Fifteen bidders – a mix of housebuilders and social landlords – expressed an interest in the JVV. Those fifteen have now been whittled down to four (McInerney Homes/First Base, Barratt Homes/Keepmoat, Home Group/ Galliford Try and the Compendium Group comprising Riverside Group and Lovell Partnerships). An ongoing assessment procedure will further reduce the group to two by May, with the final selection taking place in the summer. Bill McNulty, Gateshead Council’s project manager for the JVV, says the council’s aim is to find a development partner that shares its commitment and vision for sustainable housingled regeneration. “We want to set a benchmark in terms of neighbourhood planning, housing design, build performance and sustainability,” he says. McNulty was not surprised by the
depth of interest from housebuilders in Gateshead’s JVV. “The feedback we have always had is that it is an exciting prospect because of the agreement’s longevity, which gives developers some certainty,” he explains. Including 19 sites in the package also helps spread risk. While developers might shy away from more complex brownfield sites in challenging areas, the risk is offset if such sites are bundled with profitable greenfield schemes. “Since this is a 50:50 JVV, it gives the council the opportunity to say what certain areas of the city will look like,” adds McNulty. “And by the time we receive the final tenders this summer, we hope the housing market recovery will be healthier.” As in Newcastle, many of Gateshead’s key sites for housing development fall under the umbrella of Bridging NewcastleGateshead, the housing market renewal pathfinder area backed by both Newcastle and Gateshead councils, as well as the HCA and regional development agency One North East. It covers 77,000 properties on both sides of the Tyne. So far, it has
Previous page top: The first new council houses in Newcastle for 20 years are unveiled. Previous page main: Scotswood is set for a £400 million overhaul. This page: Winning designs for Scotswood’s Expo event by... Top left: Proctor & Matthews. Top right: JM Architects. Bottom from left: Space Craft, Fashion Architecture Taste, Sarah Wigglesworth and S333.
“Land has been assembled for the construction of 4,000 new homes”
refurbished more than 5,000 homes and demolished just over 2,300. Land has been assembled for the construction of 4,000 new homes, in addition to 266 that have already been built. “Pulling together the land is important. We’ve started to derisk sites and make them ready for development,” says Karen Anderson, head of research and strategy at Bridging NewcastleGateshead. “We’ve also worked with developers to encourage them to apply for HCA funding to kick-start sites that have stalled during the downturn.” Anderson argues it is important to involve local residents in the development of new homes and Hibernia Village provides an example of this. “Very early on there was work done with Cambrian Estate residents who are remaining in the area to pick their new plot,” she says. “There’s now a community garden with vegetables and the area has a strong community feel.” Maintaining a strong sense of community amid the regeneration is a priority for NewcastleGateshead’s policy makers and delivery bodies. By working together, they look set to match demand with a wide range of innovative schemes in the years ahead.
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case study housing
Staiths South Bank New housing schemes in Newcastle and Gateshead will be hoping to mimic the success of Staiths South Bank, in Gateshead where Taylor Wimpey is bringing forward a development of 700 new homes. The scheme has been hailed as a shining example of urban residential design, which encourages neighbours to interact more freely and restricts car useage. The site was originally used for the Gateshead National Garden Festival in 1990. After a proposal to develop a mixeduse scheme on the site came to nothing, housebuilder Taylor Wimpey approached Gateshead Council towards the end of the decade with plans for a housing development. What was especially interesting was the involvement of fashion designer Wayne Hemingway and his wife Gerardine, who had a vision for a new sort of housing estate with a better range of properties, good quality design and a preference for the needs of people, rather than those of the car. “We agreed to a change in the planning approach to look more creatively at housing design and procure something that would be of a standard to change people’s attitudes towards new housing,” explains David Leeder,
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head of major initiatives at Gateshead Council, who was involved in the planning of the site from the start. The council was always open to the approach being pioneered by the Hemingways. “We said to our technical people that this is a different type of scheme. They came to meetings willing to see how things could be done in these particular circumstances and contributed to the process creatively,” says Leeder. The experience of Staiths South Bank - where development is still taking place - is informing development at other schemes in Gateshead, such as the major project at the Central Gateshead Freight Depot on the edge of the town centre. This is one of the key sites that will be brought forward as part of the council’s forthcoming joint venture vehicle. n
“A vision for a new sort of housing estate”
Creating vibrant, sustainable communities
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feature talking heads
Talking about our The people of NewcastleGateshead have seen their city transformed over the last decade. It We spoke to a cross section of those involved in NewcastleGateshead’s renaissance to get their
Cath Cannon Marketing director at City and Northern
Neil Osborne Director at Storeys SSP
“Newcastle has changed a lot in the last 10 years. We are very proud of the city. And there is a lot of new development on the way. Newcastle is a city of many parts, and has a great range of developments. There is a move away from the party image, towards a cultural one, with things like The Sage Gateshead and the BALTIC emerging. “There is definitely reason to be positive going forward. We have several schemes coming forward now. Pilgrim Street could be higher up the list, which is a shame, but Rome wasn’t built in a day, and I am aware of that. Also, I think Newcastle and Gateshead coming together more is a good move. The offer is better for both when they come together.”
“One of Newcastle’s main strengths is the compact nature of the city centre. From the Quayside up to the Haymarket and from St James’ Boulevard to the new Northumbria University Campus, you are never more than 15 minutes away from Grey Street and Northumberland Street. “Indeed, the combination of the old and new is immediately obvious when you explore the city. From the splendour of Grainger Town to the superb new developments along the Quayside and around St James’ Boulevard, you really do have the best of the old and the new. “World-class leisure, retail and commercial facilities all sit together in Newcastle and Gateshead, including The Sage Gateshead, Newcastle United Football Club in the heart of the city and superb commercial facilities in recently completed office developments centred around the Quayside and St James’ Boulevard. “Newcastle was recently voted the greenest city in the country and one of the first things that visitors notice is cows grazing on the town moor within a stones’ throw of St James’ Park – surely a sight not many other cities are able to replicate?”
“ I am excited about
the Science Central development, and the scope of accommodation it will bring to the city. It is a good thing for the city to have. It also has a great location, it’s very high profile and the opportunity to have new buildings in this area is great”
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“ Newcastle is blessed with a modern and efficient public transport system – the Metro links Newcastle Airport to the city centre and is now extended to Sunderland”
talking heads feature
regeneration is heralded as one of the success stories of UK urban regeneration and the city continues to grow. take on where it’s been and where it’s going…
Tony Wyatt Associate director of environment at Space Group
Bernard Garner Director general at Nexus
“NewcastleGateshead, in terms of quality and attractions compares very favourably with other British cities, and is now a destination of choice for European visitors which makes our residents extremely proud – we can justifiably claim Geordie Pride which was not the case 10–15 years ago. “It is not like Edinburgh, Leeds or Manchester, which is not a criticism of those fine cities but a celebration of NewcastleGateshead’s distinctiveness. “Also central Tyneside is relatively compact and therefore much more legible than many other British cities you can name. “So whilst there may be less of it, what we have in our rich built and natural heritage from the pre-Roman times right up to our most recent buildings, seem much finer – we even now have Eldon Square back as a true heart in the city centre. “NewcastleGateshead must continue to maintain the quality of the transformation to date and if the current recession means this takes longer and we all have to work harder to achieve it – so be it.”
“It is truly exciting to see a city centre where there has been constant new development over the last five years – and across so many sectors. We see the difference in the increase in Metro passengers over the last five years as people come in to work and shop. “I look at the new office buildings along Gallowgate, Northumbria University’s City Campus East and Newcastle University and the RVI hospital, all within walking distance of each other. That’s before you think of the extension to Eldon Square shopping centre and the new office and retail space above Haymarket Metro station. For a long time people talked about the Quayside in terms of development but now its happening right in the heart of the city centre as well. “Nexus is investing more than £300 million in modernising the Metro system over the next nine years. People can already see the difference that it is going to make at Haymarket, and Central station will be next for a major facelift.”
“ It’s all our duty to
provide a legacy that will confidently survive into the next century and take its place alongside our 19th and 20th century streets and buildings that we currently cherish”
“ A city-region’s transport network says a lot about its ambition and in Tyne and Wear we are really going places. That supports exciting projects like Stephenson Quarter and Science Central, which are very close to Metro stations”
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feature quality of life
It’s great up north With cultural icons, great shopping, excellent public transport and beautiful countryside it is easy to see why everyone loves NewcastleGateshead, by Sarah Herbert
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Thirty years ago Newcastle and Gateshead were reeling from industrial decline and urban decay, with their dockyards derelict and unemployment nudging 50%. So who would have thought that NewcastleGateshead (the new brand name for Newcastle upon Tyne and its sister across the river) would top the charts as one of the UK’s best places to live. This year it was shortlisted as one of three UK cities in the Academy of Urbanism’s European City of the Year 2009 category, along with Manchester and Bristol, for its inspired urban design and its impact on civic pride and quality of life. It seems it’s payback time for the £1 billion – including £250 million on new cultural development – invested over the past 15 years, transforming once derelict areas into tourist attractions, from the now iconic Quayside with its spectacular bridges, to the undulating, glittering Sage Gateshead international music centre. This willingness to take architectural risks has seen other such landmarks like the Angel of the North, BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art and the stands of St James’ Park stadium
spring up. And at the other end of the spectrum, previously unappreciated Georgian architecture, such as at Grainger Town, has been spruced up, and the, formerly rather grim, industrial Ouseburn Valley cleared and reinvented as a creative hub. All this activity seems to be having the desired effect. People are now choosing to move to NewcastleGateshead. Between 2001 and 2007 its population rose by 2%, not bad after eight years of continuous decline. And they’re not just coming for the urban scene. Even in the downturn, the economy – despite the well-publicised collapse of Northern Rock – is more than bearing up. Thanks to investment in science, education and the public sector, the city is better placed to deal with the downturn than those more reliant on a single industry. This is borne out by the figures: despite a year and a half of rising unemployment, levels are still below those at the last recession, when the city was devastated by the loss of heavy industry. In fact, 90% of Newcastle’s employment is in the service sector, in companies such as Go Ahead, Sage Software, Bellway Homes and Greggs.
Left: NewcastleGateshead’s stunning riverside is crammed with architectural and cultural icons. Below: Public art is something NewcastleGateshead has embraced alongside new development.
Some 37% of the workforce is employed by the government, including the thousands who work at the Department for Work and Pensions, the universities, the council and the city’s two hospitals. One sign of the council’s commitment to a diverse economy is the plan to turn the recently demolished Newcastle Breweries into a £700 million Science City site. From 2010 onwards the site will see the creation of a new community and centre for scientific excellence and 5,000 new jobs. The momentum will be helped along by the CBI’s recently launched Great North Revolution campaign, which seeks to develop market opportunities in emerging sectors where the North East already has potential, such as low-carbon transport (Nissan is already investing £200 million in a battery factory in Sunderland), clean energy (wind, biomass, photovoltaics and clean coal), healthcare/biosciences, digital, and new materials, such as printable electronics or nanotechnology. This new diverse economy is finding a home in the abundance of shiny new office development that have sprung
up over the past few years – such as Gallowgate, two minutes from the city centre, St James’ Boulevard, and the area south of central station – and those nearing fruition, at Hanover Square, Quay Point, Wellbar House and further out at Newcastle Great Park. And they’re not lying empty, either: the office market has a low vacancy rate of 5.5% (in 2007), compared to Manchester’s 12.3% or Sheffield’s 11.5%. Not surprising then that 46% of Newcastle University’s graduates choose to start their careers here, helped by initiatives – such as work experience, careers fairs and databases of local companies – run by the university to show what the city has to offer. Newcastle’s two universities – Newcastle and Northumbria – have record numbers of students, over 45,000, bringing with them great vibrancy and creating an economic buffer to the tune of £900 million a year. And what attracts students in these record numbers? As well as the legendary nightlife – the city is compact enough to explore in one night (without a coat, of course) – there’s the many daytime attractions so popular with locals. Newcastle has long been
Below: Newcastle’s Grainger Town has undergone major regeneration creating a pleasant shopping destination. Far left: Home to Newcastle United FC, St James’ Park is one of several landmark architectural successes in the city centre.
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feature quality of life
Above: The remote beauty of Lindisfarne is a great day trip from NewcastleGateshead. Below: The Great North Museum has had a £26 million makeover. Just one of hundreds of cultural spaces to discover.
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the shopping capital of the North East, and a £170 million extension of Eldon Square shopping centre in the city centre, completed in February, should see the city back up in the top three shopping destinations of the UK where it belongs. Eldon Square already attracts 30 million shoppers a year, and its new improved version – with the large, high-ceilinged units retailers now want – will attract prestigious names currently missing from the area as well as anchor stores such as a four-storey Debenhams. For high-class shopping among classical architecture hit the revived Grainger Town, in the centre of the city, one of Newcastle’s proudest regeneration projects. Architectural highlights include 244 listed buildings; Grey Street, described by Pevsner as ‘one of the finest streets in England’; the Edwardian Central Arcade; a 13th century Dominican friary and pieces of the historic town walls. Down on the river, it’s been culture that has driven the reinvention of the area, with Gateshead and Newcastle leading the way in using arts as a tool for urban regeneration, in what has been dubbed ‘the Bilbao effect’. The
Sage Gateshead is now one of the ‘must play’ venues for international musicians and singers, while the BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art has tranformed a 1950s grain warehouse into one of the biggest contemporary art spaces in Europe, with a bookshop, bars, cafes, and a rooftop restaurant. But the culture doesn’t stop on the banks of the Tyne. There is the Great North Museum, the Discovery Museum which is home to Turbinia, the world’s first boat to be powered by a steam turbine engine, as its centrepiece. Or in the Ouseburn Valley there is the unusual Seven Stories, the national centre celebrating children’s literature, housed in a seven-storey converted mill, exhibiting original artworks and manuscripts (including those of J. K. Rowling). The Shefton Museum of Greek Art and Archaeology and the Biscuit Factory (the UK’s biggest commercial art space) are also well worth a visit, as are the Opus Gallery, the Laing, Hatton, Shipley and University of Northumbria – all showing paintings, sculptures and photography. With all this going on, perhaps it’s not surprising that NewcastleGateshead is an increasingly popular city break,
Left: Hadrian’s Wall. Below left: Embleton Bay. Below right: The Discovery Museum. Bottom: Ouseburn Valley.
with tourism now worth £1.2 billion a year. NewcastleGateshead makes a great base for exploring the area, which has huge amounts to offer. Possible days out include Hadrian’s Wall, the spectacular Norman cathedral and castle at Durham, and the 7th century Lindisfarne Priory, perched on the rocky Holy Island. For maritime history buffs there’s the Captain Cook Birthplace Museum in Middlesbrough or Hartlepool Maritime Experience, or for railway boffins there’s the Darlington Railway Centre and Museum and the Locomotion National Railway Museum at Shildon. North East England also does a very good line in castles, from the impressive medieval Raby Castle, to the cliff-top Dunstanburgh or Bamburgh, overlooking the Farne Islands. Harry Potter fans’ favourite would probably be Alnwick Castle, which has played a starring role in the string of films. The area is also blessed with some truly outstanding landscapes, with the North Pennines and the Northumberland Coast both officially declared Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, making them ideal for walking and cycling. There’s even something for gardening
enthusiasts: Alnwick Garden, mixing traditional garden design with modern ideas and more than 65,000 individual plants, or, nearer the city, Gibside, an 18th century landscape garden. The Tyneside Metro system extends far enough to take you to numerous beach walks, parks and other days out, such as King Edward’s Bay – a small sandy bay at the foot of Tynemouth Priory – or the Blue Reef Aquarium in Tynemouth. The influx of people drawn by the regeneration, jobs, culture and shopping mean that, according to the Office of National Statistics, and the council’s housing market studies, household numbers will rise to 129,000 by 2021, from 113,000 in 2001. And they’ll all need places to live. There’s already plenty of new housing in the pipeline – 2,500 at Newcastle Great Park and about 1,800 at Walker Riverside, for example – partly thanks to the city’s Pathfinder status, a 15-year regeneration programme that involves demolishing some old homes and funding new housing association shared-ownership and rented properties. And despite the downturn, there’s still private development going on, especially in converting the city’s industrial
“The area is blessed with some truly outstanding landscapes”
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feature quality of life architectural heritage into homes, such as some spectacular quayside warehouses. As far as existing property goes, there’s plenty to choose from, from pink sandstone streets near the old city centre, or the posher suburbs such as Jesmond, to swish new-build riverside apartments. Estate agent Knight Frank calculates that while in 1995 just 1.15% of Newcastle’s population lived in the city centre, by 2005 it was 2.25%, thanks mainly to the development of the Quayside, come 2015 the proportion should hit 3.8%. NewcastleGateshead has a heavy industrial past. So it’s even more of a triumph for Tyneside to be named the greenest city in Britain, according to the 2009 Forum for the Future rankings. The key factors were improvements in air quality, biodiversity in public parks and open spaces and the best salmon run on an English river, with the audit also showing the city performing well on waste collection, extending green space, life expectancy and the local strategy for tackling climate change. It is also pretty green on the transport front, with curbs on cars and emission cuts on public transport. David Slater, executive director of environment and regeneration at Newcastle City Council, says: “We reckon to be leading the way in transport which reduces CO2 emissions and helps to prepare us for a low carbon economy. Economic growth must not be achieved at the expense of the environment. The city has also become
the electric car capital in a governmentbacked experiment, which will see 1,000 charging points installed in Newcastle and Gateshead over the next two years. But of course one of the greenest parts of the city’s transport network is the Tyneside Metro, with 60 stations linking the centre of NewcastleGateshead – including the train station, the city centre and the Quayside – with the rest of Tyne and Wear, and rated as one of the UK’s most efficient rapid transport systems, carrying 40 million passengers a year. Newcastle International Airport has its own Metro station, and is about 20 minutes from Newcastle city centre providing essential overseas links. It would seem that NewcastleGateshead really does have it all. As Slater says: “The combination of heritage, location and variety of cultural and leisure opportunities, makes it truly unique. From the spectacular riverside to the range of retail opportunities in the city centre, to the theatres, galleries and museums, there’s something for every taste and pocket. Add to that the increasing diversity of the local economy, opportunities for careers and lifestyles, and homes ranging from quayside apartments to rural grandeur, as well as compact and friendly suburbs all wellserved by public transport, and you have the perfect recipe for the good life.” n
And the winner is... grey street won ‘The Great Street Award’ at the Academy of Urbanism Awards 2010.
Readers of Condè Nast’s Traveller voted NewcastleGateshead the easiest UK destination to get around in August 2007, and the fourth overall favourite UK city, just behind Glasgow, Edinburgh and London.
North East England was tipped as one of only 30 worldwide must-see destinations in the Lonely Planet Bluelist 2008.
Newcastle was the highest scoring city in 2007 Readers Digest survey to find the best place to bring up a family in Britain.
Newcastle was named Britain’s most sustainable city by Forum for the Future in 2009.
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Newcastle was awarded the title ‘UK’s most creative city’, after London, by The Drum magazine in 2009 Newcastle was voted ‘Best City in the North’ by Daily Telegraph readers in April 2007. Newcastle Central Station won Britain’s Station of the Year at the National Rail Awards 2007.
Grainger Town won the Academy of Urbanism’s coveted ‘Great Neighbourhood’ Award 2008, beating London’s Soho and Dublin’s Temple Bar. The Quayside was also named as a finalist in the ‘Great Place’ category.
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