The changing face of a once bustling town centre

ANYONE who's visited Gateshead High Street in recent times would have to agree it's a pale shadow of what it was a few decades ago.

- By DAVID MORTON

Gateshead High Street packed with shoppers in December 1988

Our three photographs recall the street as it was in the late 1980s and 1990s.

We see a hive of activity, big-name stores, plenty of shoppers, and the road full of traffic.

Since then, it's been a tale of gradual decline - shops, pubs and banks one by one pulling down the shutters for good and leaving the street, especially the southern stretch, looking increasingly desolate.

The Chronicle recently reported how local businesses and residents have urged Gateshead Council to act quickly to lift the “doom and gloom” and claimed long-term plans do not do enough to address concerns.

The council has talked of redeveloping the area since 2008, but plans subsequently announced in 2019 have been delayed and downsized.

The town has been hit by the sudden closure and forthcoming demolition of the A167 Gateshead flyover.

Doubt also surrounds plans to build a much-vaunted 12,500-seat arena at Gateshead Quays.

Historically, Gateshead High Street was part of the Great North Road - the ancient route connecting London, York, Durham, Newcastle and Edinburgh. Sitting in the shadow of Newcastle, its bigger, more prosperous neighbour on the other side of the River Tyne, the town received occasional bad press.