Member Article

Crane arrival hastens South Shields 365 Town Centre masterplan developments

There will be a new addition to the South Shields skyline as the tower crane for construction of The Word, the North East Centre for the Written Word, arrives in the town.

The crane will service the site during the main superstructure build which takes place over the next six to eight months.

The crane will be constructed on Saturday 1 August. A temporary road closure will be in place on Ferry Street during this time, from the roundabout junction at Church Way to The Landings building.

The road will be closed from 5.30am to 7pm to allow the site tower crane to be erected using a large mobile crane located on Ferry Street road. Traffic diversions will be in place throughout the closure and resident access to The Landings and Alum Ale house will be maintained via River Drive approach only.

Crane testing will be carried out on Sunday 2 August 2015 between 8am and 4pm. This will be contained within the confines of the construction site for The Word and will not affect any vehicle or pedestrian movements.

Councillor John Anglin, Lead Member for Regeneration and Economy at South Tyneside Council said: “The arrival of the crane marks a major milestone in the project and the start of the main superstructure build.

“Construction of The Word, the North East Centre for the Written Word, is right on schedule. Delivery of the South Shields 365 Town Centre masterplan will help to cement South Shields as a year round tourist destination, increasing visitors to the area and ultimately boosting the local economy.”

The Word, the North East Centre for the Written Word, will be a facility of both regional and national significance. It will provide an improved library offer and interactive exhibition space that aims to provide a home not only for the North East’s writing talent, but to become a hub for community and cultural activity for the people of South Tyneside.

In addition to the construction of the three storey building near Ferry Street on the Riverside, this phase in the redevelopment of South Shields will also see improvements made to the adjoining Market Place and a new 40 space car park constructed on the vacant land on Harton Quays. This includes resurfacing, a new market canopy and lighting as well as traffic calming.

David Wells, Regional Director at Muse Developments, commented: “It’s great to see how much progress has already been made and the arrival of the tower crane is another important step that creates an addition to the South Shields skyline and a visible reminder of just what a stunning scheme it is going to be.”

All foundations for The Word, the North East Centre for the Written Word, are now in place with the installation of the ground floor concrete slab and circular concrete columns and stair core walls well underway.

John Osborne, Senior Project Manager at Bowmer & Kirkland said: “We’d like to thank everyone for their patience during the delivery of the construction works. The erection of the tower crane is a key milestone in our delivery programme and we appreciate the co-operation of the Council and the local community to date. We will continue to work hard in order to minimise the impact of our construction works on the day to day lives of residents and businesses surrounding the project.”

The South Shields 365 Town Centre masterplan will transform South Shields; increasing the shopping and leisure offer in addition to improving the way people travel to, from and around the town.

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