Gateshead arena still 'absolutely realistic'

IT IS still "absolutely realistic" to build a new arena and conference centre on the banks of the River Tyne, the North East mayor insists.

- DANIEL HOLLAND Local Democracy Reporter

There have been major question marks over the stalled plans for what has been hailed as a "world class" regeneration scheme on the Gateshead Quayside.

A prime patch of land between the Glasshouse music centre and the Baltic art gallery is earmarked for a 12,500-seat arena and an international grade convention centre, but there has been no sign of the construction work that was meant to start in autumn 2023 actually getting under way.

Heavily inflated costs have been blamed for the ongoing delays to the flagship project, which could deliver a £70m annual boost to the North East economy, and it emerged last month that the North East Combined Authority (NECA) was funding new work to "assess market demand" for the development.