Former brewery site set for regeneration
GO-AHEAD FOR OFFICE BUILDING AT SCIENCE CENTRAL
Reporter PLANNING chiefs have given the green light to the £65 million regeneration project at Newcastle’s Science Central.
The eight-storey Grade A office development proposal submitted by Legal & General on the 24-acre former Newcastle Brown Ale brewery site will create 627 new jobs.
At a meeting of Newcastle City Council’s planning committee on Friday, plans were given the goahead subject to conditions and a section 106 agreement.
Rachel Dickie, investment manager at Legal & General Capital, said: “It is fantastic to have received planning approval on our first office development on this prime gateway plot.
“Delivering Grade A office space will help to act as an important catalyst for further investment in Newcastle Science Central and forms a significant next step in this major city centre regeneration project.
“The building, designed by Ryder Architecture, is complimentary and in keeping with the existing development, whilst adding a new dimension to Newcastle Science Central.”
In homage to the region’s steel manufacturing and ship-building past, the first of Science Central’s two planned office developments will be copper-coloured and clad in steel and glass
The structure will have office space from the first floor to the seventh, and a double height reception space and a cafe.
Approval was also granted for the creation of a temporary car park with 110 spaces on the site.
Julie Seaton, planning officer at Newcastle City Council, said: “The scheme will provide high-quality office development, and what we feel will be a landmark building.”
Considered one of the biggest urban regeneration projects of its kind in the UK, the scheme at Science Central is being delivered as part of a partnership between Legal & General, Newcastle City Council and Newcastle University.
The mixed-use development is set to create more than 4,000 jobs in total, with 500,000 square feet of office space and 450 homes in the heart of the city.
In June 2016 Legal & General Capital, the investment arm of Legal & General Group, became the long-term investment partner with Newcastle City Council and Newcastle University, to build and finance the Newcastle Science Central development.
Newcastle City Council will manage and operate the building when complete. The two office buildings, along with The Core – a 27,000 sq ft space for start-ups and SMEs – will form the gateway to Science Central.
A public square will also be created between the three structures to improve accessibility and provide an amenity for workers, visitors and the surrounding community.