Installation bridges gap to ‘village’

REPLICA LANDMARK PUT IN SHIPPING CONTAINER SITE AS IT TAKES SHAPE

GATESHEAD’S shipping container village is taking shape and a familiar installation has been drafted in to spruce up the site.

A replica of the Tyne Bridge has been spotted near the development and it is set to become part of the landscaping around the new attraction.

It’s going to be used as a flowerbed to brighten up the area around the quirky leisure hub.

The site will see new bars, restaurants and shops open on the scenic spot in time for this summer’s major Great Exhibition of the North event.

And you may recognise the scale replica of half of the iconic bridge as it was used as part of Gateshead’s entry to the Chelsea Flower Show in 2010.

Since then, it has been a fixture in Saltwell Park where it was used to display flowers.

Initial plans for a shipping container village timed to coincide with the Great Exhibition of the North fell through earlier this year. But a similar, slightly scaledback version of the development on Hillgate Quays will still go ahead thanks to the people behind Wylam Brewery. The village will create employment for more than 100 people in a micro brewery, tap room, restaurant, hawkers’ market and custom build bike and coffee shop, among other attractions.

More than a dozen street food specialists – both permanent and pop-ups – will take part, alongside an open flame restaurant called Träkol.

The site will see new bars, restaurants and shops open on the scenic spot in time for the Great Exhibition