£48m Gateshead Quayside hotel to be “transformational” to local visitor economy

Plans for a new £48m dual-branded hotel at the heart of Gateshead’s popular Quayside have been approved by Gateshead Council.

The planning application for the 344 room, nine storey hotel was submitted by developers Ask:PATRIZIA and was given the green light by the planning committee yesterday.

The new 180,898 sq ft hotel, designed by AHR Architects will be located at Baltic Quarter, on a vacant 0.5 acre site at the corner of Quarryfield Road and Hawks Road, and will feature a resident’s gym, restaurants, bars and business meeting rooms.

Vine Hotels will undertake the management of the hotel and it will be operated by Accor under its Novotel and Ibis brands. A network of enhanced pedestrian footpaths and crossings with wayfinding signage will link the site to the wider Quayside development areas and the Gateshead town centre to the west.

The delivery of the hotel will see upwards of 75 full time hospitality jobs created with an additional 40 new roles across the regional supply chain. In addition, the hotel will accommodate 210,000 visitor nights per year, supporting a significant uplift in local tourism and spending with an estimated £13m annual contribution being made to the local economy.

The hotel was originally marked for development and adjoined The Sage International Conference Centre but the move to the new location will see the former hotel site opened up as a landscaped linear park, accessible to the public, bringing valuable green space into the area and enhancing biodiversity.

A separate consultation exercise has been held by the developer for the new park, removal of the hotel, as well as other minor changes to the previously approved Sage Arena and International Conference Centre and the planning application is expected to be submitted imminently.

John Hughes, managing director of Ask Real Estate on behalf of the Ask:PATRIZIA partnership, commented: “The delivery of a superb new hotel for the region on a derelict vacant site is not only a great example of regeneration but it will create local jobs and boost spending benefitting the Gateshead region.”

Peter Udall, strategic director: Economy, Innovation and Growth at Gateshead Council, added: “We are delighted to see the Novotel and Ibis hotels receive planning permission as they are an essential part of the delivery of the Gateshead Quays developments and The Sage - an Arena and International Conference Centre.

“With the transformational impact on the visitor economy that these developments will bring, the region will need more accommodation to provide for the increased visitor numbers. This marks another milestone towards the delivery of these great regeneration schemes.”

By Matthew Neville – Senior Correspondent, Bdaily

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