‘REALLY POOR’ 1960S ARCADE SET TO BE SOLD
Multi-million pound plans for York Place
A 1960s shopping arcade is set to be bought by a council and redeveloped as part of a multi-million pound town centre regeneration plan.
Newcastle Borough Council is in talks with the current owners of Newcastle’s York Place, which includes the Astley Walk mall and several shop frontages onto Merrial Street and Red Lion Square.
Detailed plans for the site and whether it will continue to be used for shops have not yet been revealed. But officials say it will involve ‘significant remodelling’ to provide better links between key parts of the town centre.
The council’s cabinet is expected to authorise the purchase of York Place when it meets on December 1. Further discussions will then take place with the tenants.
It comes on the back of the wider redevelopment of the Ryecroft site, which used to be home to Sainsbury’s. The neighbouring old civic offices are also being demolished to create a larger footprint for the regeneration area.
Altogether, more than 200 new homes, offices, shops and a 400-space multi-storey car park are proposed in the town centre. Much of the scheme is being funded through an £11million grant from the Government’s Future High Streets Fund.
Council leader Simon Tagg said it would ‘uplift the status of the town centre as the heart of economic, social and community life’. “We’re grabbing this opportunity to deliver unprecedented improvements with both hands,” he added.
“The planned purchase of York Place would allow the council to progress with its exciting regeneration plans. It’s a strategic site which will become even more important once the Ryecroft is developed.
“At the moment, the arcade’s appearance and condition is really poor and, crucially, it’s blocking good connectivity between the Ryecroft and wider town centre, so the intention would be to revitalise it to ensure it’s fit for future needs.”
A report drawn up for the cabinet says £1million of repairs would be needed at York Place in the next decade if kept in its present state.
Out of 28 units, five are currently empty. A number of other units are ‘theoretically occupied in terms of a lease’, but do not appear to be trading.
The exact price the council is set to pay remains confidential.