Gateshead Quayside in line for £80m conference centre

Nov 3 2009 by Amy Hunt, The Journal

A STUDY has pinpointed Gateshead’s Quayside as a site for a prestigious new conference centre.

Regeneration bosses say the £80m International Conference and Exhibition Centre would create 2,000 jobs and bring £25m of investment to the region each year, by attracting 250,000 extra visitors.

Council leaders in Gateshead say they are pleased the plans fit in with the borough’s future ambitions.

But across the water in Newcastle some are disappointed the city may miss out.

City development company 1NG says there is huge demand within the region for conference facilities which cannot be met at the moment, with some lucrative contracts having to be turned away.

1NG commissioned a feasibility study into the plans for the centre. Gateshead Quays was identified as the preferred site, due to other buildings already in the area, such as The Sage Gateshead, Baltic art centre and Hilton hotel, which planners believe would create a “conference district”.

It is envisaged public sector cash, from One North East, Gateshead Council and other partners, would be used to pay for the centre, but 1NG says it will also seek to attract funding from the private sector.

Consultants KPMG, who have previously worked on conference centres in Birmingham, Manchester and Liverpool, will come up with detailed plans for the centre, including what it will look like.

Meanwhile 1NG will come up with a masterplan for the site and the whole area. If all goes to plan building work could start in mid-2011 and would take three years to complete.

ING chief executive Jim McIntyre said: “NewcastleGateshead has already established a strong track record in securing major domestic and international conferences. However, due to the absence of large-scale flat-floor conference and exhibition facilities NewcastleGateshead is limited in the scope and scale of events it can accommodate and has to turn away larger and more lucrative conference and exhibition events.

“Although work is at an early stage, an international conference and exhibition centre would be a great economic driver for the region.