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Plans pushing ahead for £200m Gateshead Quays entertainment and conference centre

Gateshead Council is pushing forward with plans to develop a £200m entertainment arena and conference centre which could support an estimated 1,140 jobs to the area.

In partnership with property developers Ask Real Estate, investment and development manager PATRIZIA UK and venue managers SMG Europe, the council plans to erect a 12,500 seat arena which could see Newcastle’s Metro Radio Arena relocated to Gateshead Quay.

The 10-acre site, positioned between Sage Gateshead and BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art, will also feature a conference and exhibition centre as well as hotel, bars and restaurants with the ultimate aim of rejuvenating the waterfront as a vibrant city hotspot.

Martin Gannon, Gateshead Council Leader, revealed: “We’ve wanted to regenerate and revitalise this key site on Gateshead Quays for a long time and internationally recognisable facilities of this scale has always been our long term aspiration.

“Not only will they bring new life to the area but they will bring new jobs and significantly boost the local and regional economy.”

Mr Gannon continued: “An arena and conference and exhibition facility will also play an important role in complementing and strengthening demand for national and international conferences, exhibitions and events at Sage Gateshead and BALTIC, as well as acting as a catalyst for wider investment across Gateshead and further stimulating economic growth.

“We’re now more confident than ever that we can finally push forward with our exciting plans for this £200m development site. Working closely with our development partners, SMG Europe, local partners and the private sector, it really is time to give the North East another landmark destination and complete the picture of this truly unique, riverside site.”

The new facilities on Gateshead Quays, which will be capable of holding major music and cultural events, as well as conferences and exhibitions, is anticipated to support over 1,140 jobs with well over half being newly created.

Attracting an extra 296,000 visitors to the region it’s estimated to boost the regional economy by over £29.5m annually in future years.

Executive Vice President European Operations of SMG, John Sharkey said: “We’ve for some time been looking at increasing our presence in the North East. The Gateshead Quays development site is truly a unique location which will offer visitors a whole new experience.

“Our new entertainment, conferencing and exhibition facilities, standing shoulder to shoulder with Sage Gateshead and BALTIC, will we firmly believe, further cement Gateshead Quays as a popular and stunning world class cultural destination, whilst bringing significant benefits for the whole region as well as Newcastle and Gateshead.”

Gateshead Council has been working with Ask Real Estate Limited and PATRIZIA UK Limited on this development site since June 2015 when they were selected as preferred developers.

Managing Director of Ask Real Estate, John Hughes said: “This is a very exciting and iconic development site, not just in the North East, but in the UK. We’ve done a lot of work to get to this stage but now’s the time to push ahead and help make this development site a reality.”

Daniel Williams, Head of Development at PATRIZIA UK, commented: “We believe that this campus style development holds the potential to unlock a great deal of value and income for the local area.

“We look forward to bringing our significant experience working with mixed-use developments in the UK, as well as drawing on our pan-European investment management capabilities, to what is set to become a modern icon for the North East.”

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