Tynemouth Metro Station set to be saved by store

Oct 6 2009 The Journal

A MULTI-MILLION pound bid to build a shop near an historic Metro station could generate the revenue needed to save the site, developers claimed last night.

Tynemouth Metro Station is set for a huge revamp with developers aiming to save the canopies that stretch over the platforms.

And more than £10m is being ploughed into the venture, with £4m coming from the Sea Change initiative and cash also coming from English Heritage.

Among the plans is a single-storey shop with floor space measuring 1,738 square metres and parking facilities for 67 cars.

But fears have been raised by local homeowners who claim nearby roads could not cope with the chaos caused by the influx of traffic.

One local homeowner, who did not want to be named, said: “I think it’s great that they are planning to sort out the station – it’s an historic site and needs the restoration.

“But the whole area around the station is busy anyway and I don’t know if the roads can cope with a food shop.

“It’s also a worry that the store won’t fit in with the site – there is enough erosion of our historic sites as it is.”

The Grade II-listed building appeared on the front cover of English Heritage’s “Building at Risk” and is on a list of North East buildings in need of restoration.

Restoration of the station’s canopies are also being proposed, along with a new library, a caretaker’s office, new public toilets, car parking, public meeting rooms and a tourist information centre.