Whilst the town centre has traditionally been perceived as a retail location, contemporary thinking in urban cores aims to restore the idea of the town centre acting as a 24 hour neighbourhood, still offering the principal retail destination for its catchment area, but adding employment, leisure and residential tenure. The central objective here is to generate a lively, high density location that does not close down with the shopping facilities, relying on close circuit television surveillance to ensure security. Rather, the positive encouragement of new, high density employment and residential land uses aims to create a place that is a genuine reflection of the need for a heart for Gateshead, with a busy evening and night environment, possibly enhanced by including adults education and a broader range of leisure uses, including library, cinema and theatre as well as restaurants, pubs and clubs. These new uses will benefit from the proximity of the Interchange, with easy connections to Newcastle and beyond, whilst reducing the need for high parking ratios and the impact of multi-level structures.
The Framework recommends a new civic space to become the focus of the range of activities proposed for the town centre. This should be the means of access to all uses and the central fulcrum of the pedestrian movement network. Residential blocks above retail can be accessed from both the pedestrian level and a managed parking solution below, with the housing aimed primarily at apartment accommodation for single professionals, young families and key workers.
SOCIAL & CULTURAL
It is a key aspiration of the Framework that central Gateshead should become more than a retail destination for the available catchment population. Rather, there is genuine scope for new regeneration initiatives to be harnessed and co-ordinated to create a unique destination for visitors from beyond the immediate region.
With the successful opening of the Baltic and the Millennium Bridge, and the imminent arrival of the Sage, Gateshead is well placed to become one of the most important arts destinations in the country. This presents a huge opportunity to develop new social and cultural activities on the back of the landmark projects, with a particular emphasis on connecting the potential new uses in the town centre to the quayside and beyond.
Objectives identified by the Framework for this category of use include the following:
- Make Gateshead a genuine tourist destination.
- Consider relocation of civic functions into town centre.
- Investigate arts and cultural applications in the town centre.
- Encourage cultural applications for the town square.
- Study leisure needs of future population and provide accordingly.
- Analyse active and passive open space offer.
- "Complete the circuit" of the quayside on both banks of the river.
- Encourage additional "night culture" applications, particularly on quayside and in the town centre.
- Consider town centre cinema/theatre opportunity.
- Attract Gateshead College or similar educational facility to the town centre.
The Framework encourages commercial leisure applications within the town centre. These may include a multi-screen cinema, potentially located in the southern part of the retail area.
In addition to pure leisure and cultural uses there is a scope for a primary care trust facility, offering a range of specialist healthy services, to be accommodated within the core area, where it will be accessible to a greater proportion of the local population.
Where possible, and recognising that the timescale of the Framework may allow for flexible thinking, it is hoped that some of the key civic functions that have become remote from the town centre might be re-attracted to the core area. This is particularly the case for any new council offices that are required in the future, along with a broader desire to see the library return closer to its heart.
In general, the proposed new civic space is seen as the catalyst for a range of both civic and commercial functions, and the space itself should be encouraged as a venue for events, concerts and other gatherings
