Business
Plans for Sunderland’s Culture House Unveiled
A unique cultural attraction in Sunderland city centre has been officially given the green light. Culture House – a multi-purpose cultural venue, packed with features and with a year-round programme of activities – has been approved at a Sunderland City Council planning meeting, paving the way for work to start within weeks.
The building, which will combine a state-of-the-art city library and a permanent home for local history and archive collections with spaces for exhibitions, storytelling, learning, gaming, media, arts and crafts, has been designed with heavy input from Sunderland residents, and will stand on the site of the Corner Flag pub, overlooking Keel Square.
A café, a roof garden and welcoming social spaces will make Culture House a “living room in the heart of the city”, and the building will offer an exciting mix of immersive digital experiences and traditional media. Plans were submitted to the planning authority at the end of last year and will now move forward, with a construction partner expected to be announced before the summer.
Patrick Melia, chief executive of Sunderland City Council, said: “Culture House is a staple part of our Riverside Sunderland plan, and I am very much looking forward to seeing it rise from the ground, adding to the magnificent buildings we’re seeing take shape in and around Keel Square.
“Our plan for the city centre is to create a vibrant new destination, where people can live work and play, and through venues like Culture House, alongside the magnificent Auditorium and our planned £80m Arena, we are delivering more and better places for people to visit and enjoy.”
Culture House has been designed by award-winning, international practice FaulknerBrowns Architects, who also designed the nearby City Hall. The £25m new building will provide more than 75,000sq ft of accommodation on four floors, and the project has secured funding from the Government’s Future High Streets Fund.
The new building is expected to attract more than half a million visits a year and will draw people from across the city and beyond, contributing to city centre regeneration and enhancing Sunderland’s exciting cultural offer.
Culture House is a key part of the Riverside Sunderland delivery plan, which sets out a transformational vision to create a vibrant, mixed-use site. The plans will see 1,000 new homes for up to 2,500 new residents arrive on Riverside Sunderland, as well as a range of new places to enjoy – including parkland both sides of the river, connected by a new pedestrian crossing. The plans will boost the number of people living and working in the heart of the city, creating a stronger daytime and evening economy by doubling the resident population of the city centre from 2,500 to 5,000 and increasing employment by 50% to 18,000.
Mardi Gras No. 58 have made the ‘Doner Delish’ a permanent addition to their toastie menu.
This mouth-watering meal has been unveiled by a food stall at Tynemouth Market, where it “went down a storm” with customers on its debut weekend at the end of last month. So much so, the husband and wife duo Nicki Thompson and Dean Thompson, have made it a permanent addition to their Tynemouth Market food stall.
The couple set up their Mardi Gras No.58 food stall at the popular market in October last year, specialising in sourdough toasties “with a twist”.
The stall strives to serve up “quirky and modern” toasties like the customer favourite Popeye Pesto, a toastie filled with pesto-coated chicken, spinach and cheese. Or for those who like a kick, there’s also the Buffalo Badboy, made of spicy beef mince with jalapenos and fresh chillies.
Mardi Gras has already taken inspiration from other popular takeaway dishes, with their Pizza Pepperoni toastie sandwiching pizza toppings between two sourdough slices.
Packed with doner meat, crispy red onion, gooey melted cheese, and finished off with garlic and chilli sauce, Nicki and Dean urged people via their Facebook page: “Don’t knock it until you try it!”.
The couple have hinted at toastie fans to “watch this space” for more indulgent inventions from Mardi Gras No. 58 coming soon!
What takeaway delight would you like to see in toastie form next? We’d love to try a take on the Teesside parmo!
Would you try the ‘Doner Delish’?
Newcastle International has been named the UK and Irish airport of the year at the so called “toughest to win” travel awards.
The airport scooped the top spot at the Travel Industry Awards 2022, after being voted for by leaders across the tourism industry. The panel of judges were impressed by Newcastle Airport due to its ” strong new routes across a range of airlines and its impressive six-minute security average”.
They also noted its carbon measurement reduction strategy, with the airport aiming to become a net zero carbon airport by 2035, significantly earlier than many other European airport targets. The awards, which are put on by the Travel Trade Gazette, aim to recognise overall performance, support for trade partners, contribution to a fairer travel industry and smarter products.
Now in their second year, the Travel Industry Awards are considered some of the toughest in the industry due to a “robust” system of judging, and hundreds of entries for each spot. Newcastle was one of several entrants for UK and Irish Airport of the year, and was shortlisted alongside Birmingham Airport, George Best Belfast City Airport and London Stansted.
Nick Jones, Chief Executive at Newcastle International Airport, said: ” This achievement is a testament to the work and dedication of employees and business partners across the Airport who have come together to create positive passenger experiences,” adding: “It is a great achievement for everyone at the Airport who has contributed to the award-winning service we deliver.”
Greggs has teamed up with Just Eat to offer customers free sausage rolls in time for the Queen’s big Jubilee weekend. Between tomorrow (June 2) and Sunday (June 5) anyone ordering a Greggs – which is based in Newcastle from Just Eat will receive a free sausage roll or vegan sausage roll, when they spend £10 or more on food or drink!
Better still, sausage roll fans will be pleased to know that the big Jubilee weekend also happens to coincide with National Sausage Roll Day on Sunday, making it the perfect excuse to bag yourself one!
“A national icon with the power to unite Britons up and down the country, the humble pastry is set to claim a starring roll in the Queen’s big weekend,” Greggs said in a statement.
Separately, JustEat is offering a 20 per cent discount on all orders from restaurtants with the word “royal” in their name. To claim this, use the code “ROYAL20” at checkout.
-
Sports1 year agoNewcastle transfer rumours as January window approaches
-
Best of North East1 year agoTop 10: Date Ideas In Newcastle
-
News1 year agoLocal mum left with serious injuries after being spiked
-
Sports1 year agoRumours: How could Newcastle line-up after the January transfer window?
-
Featured1 year agoNorth-East Collection Points For Ukraine Donations
-
Featured1 year agoHumanitarian aid for Ukraine collection point in Newcastle
-
Sports1 year agoFavourites to sign for Newcastle in January, according to SkyBet
-
Sports10 months agoSix potential strikers that would improve Newcastle’s attack