Council shrinks regeneration area to speed up work

GATESHEAD Council is due to downsize the regeneration of the High Street South area to speed up the project.

- AUSTEN SHAKESPEARE

Local authority bosses are due to sign off a "revised" boundary for a project aimed to revitalise central Gateshead.

Council documents claim the new shrunken scale of the project would provide "the best use of council capital funding". Plans for the overhaul of the High Street South area were unveiled back in 2019, including proposals for multiple new commercial venues and 700 new homes.

However, the original project was delayed by the Covid-19 pandemic and was subject to criticism by opposition councillors, who said the project was moving "at a snail's pace" just last year.