Demolition of Gateshead car park gets underway

Jul 27 2010 by Amy Hunt, The Journal

THE designer of one of Tyneside's best-known landmarks watched as the demolition of his creation kicked off yesterday.

Gateshead’s Trinity Square car park – made famous by the 1971 Michael Caine film Get Carter – is being pulled down to make way for a redevelopment scheme.

Architect Owen Luder, known for his imposing concrete designs, was invited to take one last trip to the top of the car park he sketched out in the 1960s.

And as the heavy machinery moved in to start tearing away at the concrete, Mr Luder said history would judge his creation as an icon not eyesore.

The reinforced concrete car park, which opened in 1969 but had fallen into disrepair in recent years, looks set to be replaced by a modern shopping and office complex and flats.

Mr Luder, 81, said: “In 20 or 30 years time, when they are demolishing whatever is here next, there will be no-one standing here giving interviews on that. What’s planned is a fairly low-key development which will not make as big an impact.

“This is very sad for me, obviously. But I’m more sad because I think it should have been kept.

“I think if it were kept and renovated people would say ‘what a transformation’. But you need imagination and vision and that’s lacking. I don’t think it will even take 10 years before people will be asking why we knocked it down. This will not fade into history.”