Olivia PowellGateshead Council’s development partner Ask:PATRIZIA has submitted a full planning application for the £260m Gateshead Quays arena, conference and exhibition centre.
The 80,000 square foot development is situated on the Newcastle Gateshead Quayside, directly in front of the Millenium bridge. The venue will host both international conferences and exhibitions in addition to music and cultural events.
The scheme will include a 12,500 capacity arena, which will be operated by ASM Global, an international conference and exhibition centre, restaurants, and a dual-branded hotel. It is expected that the Gateshead Quay project will add £29m gross value and over 1,000 jobs to the regional economy per year.
Gateshead Council will also be submitting a planning application for a multi-storey car park to service the development later this year.
HOK, a global architecture firm, will be designing the overall masterplan for the site, conference and exhibition centre and 12,500 capacity arena, while AHR Architects will be designing the hotel.
The project team also includes: project manager and contract administrator, Legends International; planning consultants Lichfields; QS by Gardiner and Theobald; structural engineers/M&E ARUP; and transport planning by Vectos.
Ask:PATRIZIA is a collaborative project by Ask Real Estate Limited and PATRIZIA AG.
Managing director of Ask Real Estate, John Hughes, said: “We have undertaken a programme of public consultation with local stakeholders and neighbours which has informed our plans for Gateshead Quays and we are pleased that we are now able to take this through to the final stage of the planning process.
“Our appointed contractors Sir Robert McAlpine have been engaging with the technical teams and with the arena operator ASM Global and we have signed-off stage 2 designs for what will be a world-class events destination.
“We are hopeful that the scheme will achieve full planning consent later this year and look forward to delivering this superb facility for the North East as soon as possible.”
Another benefit the program will have is the program to connect directly to Gateshead’s district energy network.
The hotel operator is expected to be announced over the next few weeks, and the new complex is due to open 2023.