A developer has been named to take forward a £500m conversion of the former Newcastle General Hospital site into a centre for research and innovation in ageing and living well.
Newcastle University has formed a joint venture with Genr8 Kajima Regeneration Ltd, a project which will create a number of news jobs as well as new homes, after being granted planning permission earlier this year. The mixed-use scheme in Newcastle’s West End will integrate research, living, workspace and health uses to create a leading destination which will examine new approaches to the way we live and how these can relate to improved health and wellbeing.
The 29-acre site will include specialist housing that will be trialled, specifically for those living with dementia and traumatic injury. The majority of buildings on the old hospital site, which dates back to the 1800s, are being demolished to make way for the landmark expansion of the Campus for Ageing and Vitality (CAV), which currently occupies part of the northern end of the plot.
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The university paid almost £7.5m to buy the Westgate Road site three years ago, following the collapse of controversial plans to build a Tesco supermarket on the land. The Genr8 Kajima Regeneration Ltd partnership is itself a 50/50 JV between Kajima, a European real asset developer, investor and asset manager and leading regeneration developer, Genr8. It marks the first scheme awarded to Genr8 Kajima Regeneration Ltd, which was formed latest year when the two firms worked together to deliver Rochdale Riverside, a new retail and leisure development in Rochdale.
As part of its development partner role, the joint venture will secure funding for the scheme, which has an estimated value of £500m.
Prof David Burn, pro-vice chancellor for the faculty of medical sciences at Newcastle University, said: “The site will give us an unprecedented opportunity to undertake world-class research that not only benefits our local population but people nationally and internationally, too. “We will take a whole-system approach, from cell to community, working with our partners to create a site that is truly unique in its scope, for the health and wellbeing of our population, as well as boosting the economy of our region.”
Kate Pix, regeneration director at Kajima, said: “If we are to level up the country, we can’t simply build more homes. We also need to rethink how we use existing places, particularly those with in-built community benefits such as health facilities, life sciences and other social infrastructure.
“Newcastle’s Campus for Ageing and Vitality plans to achieve all of this whilst also becoming an innovative centre for developing homes and services that support the health and wellbeing of the local community and beyond. By placing community, health, sustainability and people at the heart of our work we will deliver both homes and jobs for local people.”
Genr8 partner Richard Ingham added: “CAV represents an unrivalled opportunity to deliver an exemplar scheme of international significance, which harnesses best practice and drives innovation in the living and place arenas. We believe that the partnership between GKRL and Newcastle University provides a unique combination of academic excellence, property investment and development expertise.”
