VISITORS to Newcastle will be greeted with a new look Central Station. More than £8m will be spent changing the face of the station as East Coast promises to make the Victorian city centre building one of its flagship stops.

Much of the work will go on pedestrianising the area currently used by taxis, with a glazed front set to turn the portico into a new waiting and greeting space.

As part of this the walls of the station will be sandblasted and new lights fitted.

In the station itself the ticket office will be relocated and new shopping space introduced.

Planners at East Coast, which manages the station, also say they want to see the car park space outside the Centurion pub pedestrianised.

Taxies will still queue up from Orchard Street with a new pick-up point made near the Station Hotel.

City business group NE1 has welcomed the move. Chief executive Sean Bullick said: “NE1 is delighted about East Coast plans to transform Newcastle Central Station.

“They are closely coordinated with the work and investment that NE1 and Newcastle City Council is planning for the area surrounding the station and will contribute enormously to creating a modern, welcoming gateway into Newcastle.

“The redevelopment of the Central Station and its immediate environs will also of course have a major economic impact on Newcastle and is expected to kick-start the regeneration of the area and help link it to the city’s commercial heart.”

The North East Chamber of Commerce also gave its approval. Head of policy Ross Smith said: “Newcastle Central Station is obviously a very important element of many people’s first impression of the city and the wider region. These exciting plans will help make sure that impression is a good one and should complement wider proposals for the Stephenson Quarter to give a new lease of life to that area of the city.”

East Coast, which manages the station, says it wants to double the amount of space for shops and food stalls at the station as a result of the Department for Transport grant.

It follows years of talk from business groups, council leaders and rail firms eager to turn the underused station into a more impressive “gateway” to the city.

The changes, set to be in place by April 2014, will need planning consent for the Grade I listed building.

East Coast station director Tim Hedley-Jones said: “Newcastle Central station is a key part of the history and future of both the city and the wider North East region.

“The improvements will accentuate the important heritage of the Grade I listed building, one of only six such stations in the UK, and act as a stunning new gateway to the city for visitors.

“We believe the project will play a key role in the regeneration of the city centre and help to demonstrate that Newcastle and the North East are very much open for business.” Newcastle Council leader Nick Forbes has welcomed the news.

He said: “Newcastle Central is one of only six grade one listed stations in the country. It’s a stunning building, marred by some rather nasty internal building works carried out in the 1970s. “The plans represent an ambitious project to breath new light and life into it. The combination of history and modern innovation won’t just give train passengers a much better station, but will be a metaphor for Newcastle’s regeneration.”

Newcastle Council will itself spent more than £4m to improve the area immediately outside the station in the coming years.

The station improvement work is due to begin in May, and is expected to be completed in April next year.

The station will operate as normal throughout the works.