Building work on a £330m arena on the Gateshead Quayside could start this autumn, council bosses hope.
A massive new complex including a 12,500-capacity arena and an international conference centre is due to be built on a patch of prime riverside land between the Sage Gateshead concert hall and the Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art. The project was awarded, at the second time of asking, a £20m grant from the Government’s Levelling Up fund in January after being hit with spiralling costs, amid fears that the inflation crisis could threaten major developments across the country.
Plans for the “world class” site have recently been redrawn to get rid of a controversial hotel, which was attached to the side of the centre and angered neighbours, and construction is yet to begin in earnest since the land was cleared to prepare it for redevelopment. After councillors granted planning permission for a relocated version of that hotel on Wednesday morning, the local authority confirmed it is still waiting for developers Ask: PATRIZIA to submit a planning application for the redesigned arena site.
