New images reveal vision for huge Newcastle riverside regeneration at Forth Yards
New images have revealed a fresh look at the vision for a huge regeneration project on the Newcastle riverside.
City bosses have unveiled new designs showcasing their development vision for the Forth Yards site, to the west of Newcastle city centre.
The huge plot of derelict land, described as a “wasted opportunity”, is earmarked for up to 2,500 new homes.
It is among the projects being hawked to prospective investors at the UK Real Estate Investment and Infrastructure Forum (UKREiiF) in Leeds this week, where developers are also being shown a 3D video walkthrough of the area.
Getting the Forth Yards development off the ground has been among Newcastle City Council chiefs’ top priorities for years.
The largest parcel of land within the regeneration zone is the Quayside West plot, where the old Elswick leadworks once stood, for which the Government is being asked to invest £120 million to fund remediation works and develop surrounding infrastructure that would make housebuilding a more viable proposition.
Homes England bought that site last year after a previous £250 million development fell through.
The wider Forth Yards area also encompasses the Network Rail-owned Forth Goods Yard site next to Central Station, the Newcastle Heliport and land off Pottery Lane where hundreds of new flats are currently being built.
It is hoped that the ex-industrial area can become a “new western gateway that is well connected to the heart of Newcastle, the Quayside and the wider region”.
Newcastle City Council leader Karen Kilgour said: “It is fantastic to see a glimpse of what the Forth Yards site could look like upon completion of this project.
“It is the last undeveloped parcel of brownfield land on the city centre footprint and this project will create housing, jobs and skills to benefit residents in every corner of the city.”
There was confusion in March when the Treasury and North East mayor Kim McGuinness suggested that 5,000 homes could be built in the Forth Yards area – twice as many as expected.
It has since been confirmed that 2,500 homes, including 1,100 at Quayside West, remains the target.
Ms McGuinness added: “Forth Yards has been left mostly unused for 20 years, a wasted opportunity overlooking the Tyne and close to Newcastle city centre.
“It is exactly the kind of land we should be putting homes for local people on, and I am working hard with the leader of Newcastle City Council on doing just that by unlocking the finance from Government we need to prepare the site for development.
“We’re showing that given the right tools the North East will get on with the job, building quality and affordable new homes in County Durham, in Sunderland, in South Shields and now with this vision for Newcastle.”
Forth Yards is part of a £14 billion prospectus of North East investment opportunities being presented at UKREiiF, where Ms McGuinness and fellow northern mayors also launched the new Great North partnership on Monday.
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