Mayor's plan for body to deliver regeneration

A NEW mayoral development corporation could be set up in a bid to kickstart stalled developments in central Newcastle and Gateshead including a new arena on the Quayside.

- DANIEL HOLLAND Local Democracy Reporter

North East mayor Kim McGuinness is poised to launch a new body aimed at delivering rapid building works on critical Tyneside plots that have been left for years with "no real progress".

The Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) understands that target projects could include the site of the proposed international conference centre and arena on the Gateshead Quayside, Gateshead High Street and Newcastle's Forth Yards area, as well as any potential regeneration works surrounding a new football stadium if Newcastle United were to leave St James' Park. Mayoral development corporations (MDCs) are statutory bodies which can be set up by metro mayors in England to drive regeneration.

As well as providing funding, their powers can include making compulsory purchases of land, taking over planning decisions from local councils, and granting relief from business rates. The exact scope and powers of an emerging Newcastle and Gateshead MDC remain unclear at this stage.

But the LDRS understands that early proposals that could lead to its creation are set to go before the North East Combined Authority (NECA) cabinet later this month. Ms McGuinness said: "People are waiting too long to see developments completed and we want to see that change, so we can deliver on our ambition and people can really feel growth and regeneration thriving here in the North East.