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Strawberry Place to be the home of new fan zone!
Newcastle United have commenced the planning application process for a brand new fan zone at Strawberry Place in partnership with STACK and the club’s front-of-shirt partner, Sela.
An initial planning application has now been lodged with Newcastle City Council, with a proposed fan zone to be constructed in two phases to extend the site over a ground floor and first floor.
The fan zone will not only introduce a thriving food, drink and entertainment option for supporters visiting matches at St. James’ Park, it will also create a bustling midweek leisure and social destination that has become synonymous with the STACK brand.
Built using repurposed shipping containers around a central plaza and main stage area, the new site will attract people of all ages, with carefully curated events and attractions designed for families.
The main stage, complete with a big screen, will be designed to deliver an immersive experience for live entertainment and broadcasting sporting events, while there will be six bars and ten street food units.
The club is continuing to work with STACK through the planning process, with Sela – the club’s front-of-shirt partner and a world-class events and experiences company – providing expert guidance.
Subject to planning and licensing being granted, it is hoped the fan zone will be open before the end of the year, with an initial lifespan of three years as the club explores potential uses for the site.
The fan zone will complement recent development projects around the Strawberry Place site, which sits in the shadow of the stadium’s Gallowgate End. The land, which was recently acquired by the club, was
previously a car park and was most recently used to accommodate materials for nearby construction projects.
It is anticipated the fan zone will create a host of economic and employment opportunities for the city centre, attracting local businesses as both vendors and suppliers, and stimulating additional footfall for neighbouring businesses and services.
The site will also create 150 full-time and part-time jobs, with Newcastle United Foundation’s employability programme – NU Futures – forging links with the fan zone to give local people new opportunities.
NU Futures is a powerful collaboration between Newcastle United Foundation, North of Tyne Combined Authority, leading local businesses, schools, and other high-quality education and training partners.
It supports young people to develop the skills and attributes needed to progress and succeed in the world of work and the fan zone will provide a key pathway for young people to secure employment.
A community consultation process will begin in due course, giving supporters and the wider public an opportunity to see the plans in detail.
Darren Eales said: “Our fan zone is aimed at enhancing the experience not just for supporters visiting matches and big events at the stadium, but for people visiting the city centre seven days a week.
“Submitting initial plans is just the first stage and there are a lot of steps in the process, but we are excited to continue working with our commercial and city partners to create something that will really add social and economic value to the location.”
Neill Winch, CEO of STACK, said: “The joint venture with Newcastle United to create a fan zone in the city centre is exciting for many reasons, not least of which is the coming together of two great North East brands.
“We believe this development is going to be a huge asset, not just to the club and its amazing fans, but to the city as a whole.
“While STACK is now growing to become a national chain, the fact that our very first venture was in Newcastle means it has a special place in our affections.
“We are delighted to be working with the club and Sela to provide a ‘best in class’ experience for fans and the community, not only on match days, but every day of the week.”
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Newcastle’s Liberal Democrats have demanded “urgent” clarity on the future of the city’s main shopping street.
With work on a promised transformation of Northumberland Street yet to begin, the city’s opposition party has called on council bosses to take action on the “increasingly shabby” area. Designs for a major refurbishment of the busy pedestrian route, which Newcastle City Council said would get under way this year, have included installing a series of 50ft lighting pillars, as well as new trees, plants, and seating.
Coun Greg Stone, the Lib Dems’ spokesperson on the city centre, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that there were concerns that the scheme may be pushed back to 2024 in order to avoid a negative impact on shops as the festive period nears. In response, the Labour-run local authority confirmed that it does still intend to start the improvements on Northumberland Street by the end of this year and was in the process of appointing a contractor.
Coun Stone complained that the high street’s paving is “looking increasingly tired”, adding: “The council has an important duty to ensure that the city centre’s public realm and the fabric of our major streets are well cared for and attractive for Newcastle’s citizens, visitors, and businesses. We have been told that renovation of Northumberland Street is on the way for several years now but works on Ridley Place and Saville Row have taken an age and there is no sign of work being imminent on Northumberland Street.
“The decision to avoid construction work during last year’s pre-Christmas trading season was understandable, but the window of opportunity for work to be done this year seems to be closing. There is an urgent need for clarity from the council leadership on their vision and delivery plans for city centre improvements.”
He added: “The Lib Dem Opposition is disappointed that the council’s ambitions for Northumberland Street seem to be more tarmac patches than high quality paving and public realm. We continue to have concerns about the Labour administration’s capacity to manage major projects for the city centre and we may be facing further long waits for delivery.”
A dramatic transformation of the city centre has been the topic of debate for years. The city council has long wanted to pedestrianise the iconic Grey Street and initial works to gradually achieve that are ongoing, but controversial proposals to remove all traffic from Blackett Street were shelved last year.
A spokesperson for Newcastle City Council said: “We are progressing our plans to redevelop Northumberland Street to strengthen its position as the region’s most vibrant high street and encourage higher footfall.
“We are in the process of selecting a contractor to deliver the works and exact details and timescales will be confirmed when this process is complete. The improvements will include full repaving of the street and the introduction of new seating, planting, trees and lighting making it a more welcoming place that can be enjoyed both day and night.
“Northumberland Street is the city’s premier shopping destination, and our plans will reinforce this, setting apart from other streets and creating an attractive destination where people want to spend time.
“The council remains committed to delivering its long-term ambition to transform the city centre into a cleaner, greener, more welcoming place that attracts visitors and investment, and where our residents can feel a sense of belonging.
“The work on Ridley Place is now complete, new street furniture will be installed on Saville Row in the coming weeks and Grey Street should be complete by summer 2024 as planned. The initial works on Northumberland Street will start later this year.”
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Raw sewage was released into open water in Newcastle more than 1,500 times in 2022, figures show.
Storm overflows normally happen when the sewage system is at risk of being overwhelmed – such as after a heavy rain, or during higher levels of groundwater.
In these cases, water companies may need to release excess water and sewage into rivers and the sea, to prevent water backing up into the streets and people’s homes.
This has an impact on the quality of our natural water sources, with some charities alleging storm overflows are being misused and under-reported.
Figures from the Environment Agency show storm overflows were used 1,637 times within Newcastle’s local authority boundaries in 2022, discharging for a total of around 4,724 hours.
All of these spills were from Northumbrian Water’s network.
Northumbrian Water saw 29,697 overspills across its network in 2022 – although 7% of the company’s facilities did not report overspill data last year.
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The government has finally published a list of schools identified with collapse-prone concrete after days of mounting pressure.
The document, released by the Department for Education, showed the start of term had to be delayed at 19 schools – responsible for 11,150 pupils – as a result of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC).
The list came just before the first Prime Minister’s Questions (PMQs) since the summer recess, where Rishi Sunak told the Commons the government had “acted decisively to ensure the safety of children and minimise disruption to education”.
The Liberal Democrats’ education spokesperson, Munira Wilson, also called for Mr Sunak to “come clean over his own role in this crisis”, and publish evidence given to him when he was chancellor on the risks to children’s safety from RAAC.
The list of North East schools affected are:
St James Catholic School, Hebburn, South Tyneside
St John Bosco Catholic Primary School, Sunderland
St Anne’s Catholic Primary School, Harlow Green, Gateshead
St Leonard’s School, Durham
St Benet’s Catholic Primary School, Ouston
St Teresa’s Catholic Primary School, Darlington
Ferryhill School, County Durham
Each school listed will be closed throughout this first week of September!
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