Construction of the gigantic Whey Aye wheel in Newcastle remains on hold – with the war in Ukraine cited as the latest reason for ongoing delays to the £100m project.
City councillors gave their backing to the controversial 460ft observation wheel, which would be the tallest in Europe, and wider ‘Giants on the Quayside’ leisure complex almost three years ago. But there is still no sign of any building work starting on the former site of the demolished Spillers flour mill in Ouseburn.
Work had been scheduled to begin in 2020 and the attractions open to the public in 2023, but the firm behind the plans has pushed back those dates multiple times – pinning the blame on the huge disruption caused by the Covid-19 pandemic and now Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. When asked last December, the World Wheel Company had said it “fully intends” to start construction in the first quarter of 2022, but that has now been and gone.
