A 20-MINUTE neighbourhood is set to be built next to the UK’s second biggest shopping centre.
The new proposal aims to double the areas contributions to the local economy, create new jobs and build new homes.
A residential complex, called Metro Riverside, is coming to Gateshead in Newcastle.
Designed by architects at LDA Design, the urban regeneration project could see more than 4,500 new homes built, 5,000 new jobs created, and brand new transport links.
At the moment, it’s unclear how many of the housing units will be affordable and what kind of price points they’ll include.
Gateshead Council are hoping the Metro Riverside complex will double the area’s current contributions to the local economy, anticipating £2 billion of growth per year by 2045.
On the south bank of the River Tyne, Metro Riverside is set to be built near Metrocentre shopping centre, which already has its own railway and bus station.
As a result, Metro Riverside has been coined the “city within a city” online.
The project planners are hoping that the new complex will mean locals won’t need to rely on their cars for a shopping trip.
There will be a network of restaurants, offices, schools, bars, sports and leisure centres all within walking distance of each other.
LDA’s design director, Bernie Foulkes, says the proposal intends to improve the local infrastructure and enhance the sense of local community.
He said: “The vision for Metro Riverside was developed around two fairly simple ideas. The first was to bring a permanent, thriving community to the Metrocentre and its surrounding area.
“The second was to connect people and place with a revived River Tyne and with nature and water.
“This will improve people’s lives, restore nature, and support climate resilience and adaptation well into the second half of this century.”
If plans go ahead, The Metrocene, which opened in 1986 and for a short while was Europe’s largest shopping centre, will be a direct neighbour to Metro Riverside.
Therefore, it will receive a £6million expansion to fund a new hub called The Crescent
It will be dedicated to independent retailers and enhance the connection between two of the five malls in Metrocene – Bule and Green.
Shoppers will have 10 unique brands to discover in the new establishment, which is expected to be “warm, welcoming space with a village-like feel”.
