SkyscraperCity Forum banner

DOWNING PLAZA (aka Liberty Plaza) | Newcastle City Centre | Various | U/C

310K views 1K replies 107 participants last post by  prostu2 
#1 · (Edited)
Downing Plaza

Height: 60m tallest
Floors: 18 tallest
Architect: Ian Simpson
Developer: Downing Developments


Development Details:

- 18 storey building containing a 183 bed hotel and 102 serviced apartments
- 10 storey non-residential educational institution
- Three buildings of 8 to 11 storeys containing 81 student accommodation units
- 5 to 7 storey non-residential educational institution or office building (Superseded)
- 10 storey student accommodation building

Phasing*

Phase 1: NUBS (Block B/ 10 Fl/ U/C)
Phase 2: Student Accommodation (Blocks C,D,E/ 8/10/11 Fl)
Phase 3: Offices (Block F/ 7 Fl) (Superseded) / Student Accommodation (Block F/ 10 Fl)
Phase X: Hotel & Apartments (Block A/ 18 Fl)

*May have changed.


Official description from Downing:

As the largest planning application to be granted in Newcastle for a generation, Downing Plaza signals a high water mark for the city’s regeneration.

The £200 million development is transforming the former Scottish and Newcastle Brewery into six new iconic buildings designed by the acclaimed Ian Simpson Architects. Featuring 200,000 sq ft of offices, a 183-room hotel, a 462-bed student village and extensive retail space, the scheme will form a impressive gateway to Newcastle City Council’s Science Central masterplan.

Downing Plaza has achieved a record-breaking commercial pre-let of 100,000 sq ft with Newcastle University Business School.

http://www.downing.com/mixeduse/showdetails.asp?recordid=88


Downing Plaza Planning Application: http://planningapplications.newcastle.gov.uk/online-applications/applicationDetails.do?previousCaseUprn=004510117572&previousCaseType=Property&activeTab=summary&previousKeyVal=000WLHBSLI000&previousCaseNumber=000WLHBSBU000&keyVal=K3H4HVBS01I00

Sandman Signature Planning Application: http://planningapplications.newcastle.gov.uk/online-applications/applicationDetails.do?activeTab=summary&keyVal=KTS1DOBS00D00


General Images:


(Superseded)


(Latest)


(Superseded)


(Latest)













Building A

Status: Approved
Height: 60m
Floors: 18
Use: Hotel & Apartments

Elevations:



Renders:



Latest Photos:
N/A



Building B

Status: T/O
Height: 45m
Floors: 10
Use: Education
Website: http://www.ncl.ac.uk/nubs/about/facilities/newbuilding.htm

Elevations:



Renders:



Latest Photos:


Photo by Stamford


Photo by Stamford





Building C

Status: Under Construction
Height: 40m
Floors: 11
Use: Student Accommodation
Website: http://www.centrallink.co.uk/

Elevations (Right):



Renders:



Latest Photos:

(MIDDLE)

Photo by Stamford

(ON LEFT)

Photo by newcastlephotos.blogspot.com



Building D

Status: T/O
Height: 40m
Floors: 11
Use: Student Accommodation
Website: http://www.centrallink.co.uk/

Elevations:



Renders (Right):



Latest Photos:

(ON LEFT)

Photo by Stamford

(ON RIGHT)

Photo by Stamford



Building E

Status: T/O
Height: 30m
Floors: 8
Use: Student Accommodation
Website: http://www.centrallink.co.uk/

Elevations (Right):



Renders (Left):



Latest Photos:

(ON LEFT)

Photo by Stamford



Building F (Superseded)

Status: Approved
Height: 25m
Floors: 7
Use: Office

Elevations:



Renders (Right):



Latest Photos:
N/A



Building F

Status: Proposed
Height: 30m
Floors: 10
Use: Student Accommodation

Elevations:







Renders:





Latest Photos:
N/A



Sandman Signature

Status: Under Development
Height: 40m
Floors: 11
Use: Hotel

Elevations:



Renders:



Latest Photos:

(ON LEFT)

Photo by newcastlephotos.blogspot.com


Photo by Stamford



Latest News:

Work starts on city's £30m student village
May 26 2010 by Peter McCusker, The Journal



WORK has started on the second phase of a £200m scheme designed to breathe new life into the former Scottish and Newcastle Brewery site.

Property group Downing has started construction of a £30m student village at the site in Newcastle city centre as part of its flagship Downing Plaza scheme. Phase one – a 135,00sq ft office building – is already well under way.

The new development, adjacent to St James’ Park football ground and bounded by Wellington Street and Heber Street, will feature 519 en suite student bedrooms, spread across three 10-storey buildings.

An additional 8,000 sq ft of ground-floor retail space will also be created, providing a frontage on to Heber Street.

The student village will be located next to 135,000 sq ft of offices and teaching space, which has been pre-let by Newcastle University Business School.

The scheme is being constructed by Downing’s in-house contracting division, George Downing Construction (GDC), and is scheduled for completion in August 2011, ready for the city’s new student intake the following month.

Paul Houghton, director at Liverpool-based Downing, said: “There’s a clear demand for high-quality student accommodation in Newcastle city centre and Downing Plaza will deliver a safe, fit-for-purpose student cluster in the heart of the city.

“Students make a massive contribution to the cultural, social and economic fabric of a city and the market for student housing is strong and relatively stable, having experienced robust rental growth in the past five years.

“Downing Plaza will provide the perfect base for generations of young people to enjoy the best Newcastle has to offer in terms of education and city living.”

The £200m Downing Plaza scheme is designed to regenerate a four-acre site in Gallowgate, with six buildings designed by Manchester-based architects Ian Simpson.

Future phases of the scheme will include shops, an additional 100,000 sq ft of offices, a 183-bed hotel and a building with 102 serviced apartments.

Newcastle-based storeys:ssp are agents for the scheme. The plaza will act as the gateway to the Science Central area in Gallowgate.

This £500m, 19-acre scheme has been earmarked for research, business and education facilities plus new offices, homes, shops and restaurants.

Canadian developer Northland Properties are also working at the former Gallowgate headquarters of Scottish & Newcastle Breweries where it is creating a 169-room hotel – the Sandman Signature. This building is the last remnant of the Scottish & Newcastle Breweries on the site.

http://www.nebusiness.co.uk/commercial-property-north-east/news/2010/05/26/work-starts-on-city-s-30m-student-village-51140-26519094/
 
See less See more
39
#4 ·
This area is more integrated into the city with better transport links (metro, road, bus, pedestrian) so it makes sense for it to be mixed-use imo. An arena is only ever going to be used a couple of times a week whereas office/student res/apartments etc will be used 24/7 all year round. this land is owned by downing and not the council so it isnt technically part of this mythical 'Science City' project.
 
#3 ·
How far along is construction? I am guessing they are just doing groundwork at the minute?

It's great news that this is underway, even if the plans are a little underwhelming, but I wish we were replacing the old S&N block. I wonder if there's any images of the reclad knocking around. As far as I can remember, I think someone in the main thread said that it is going to be converted into a Canadian chain hotel.
 
#9 ·
Is work going on at the moment in the HQ tower? I noticed last night (I can see it from my kitchen window) that lights were on in the stairwells and a couple of floors.

It would be good if there was something on the St James' Metro station site too with the Metro station beneath as a complement to these schemes and the Wellbar House and Time Central developments.
 
#10 ·
It would be good if there was something on the St James' Metro station site too with the Metro station beneath as a complement to these schemes and the Wellbar House and Time Central developments.
I agree - but wasn't/isnt a lot of that arrea owned either by NUFC or Freddie S? I recall vaguely that there were hotel/casino plans for thereabouts. And back in ye olde pre-Ashley days they mave have thought that expanding the Gallowgate End to match the two new stands would have been a good idea. That would, presumably, have partly enveloped the metro station.
 
#12 ·
Yes I think you're right about NUFC or Freddy owning it as I believe they wanted an MGM casino on the site. They were also going to develop the area of the small multi-storey car park at the opposite end of the ground just off Barrack Road into flats but nothing ever happened with that.
 
#13 ·
Ashley had been in discussions with NCC for a development on the carpark, and it was slated to include at least one tall building. Obviously that's stalled due to a/ ashley selling up (again - what a dimwit) and b/ the poor market for new builds. Freddy was also looking into building there, first with MGM and later as part of a comprehensive rebuild of the Gallowgate stand which wouldve took capacity to around the 60k-62k margin. he first planned a hotel on the Leazes carpark, look out over the park itself, which i thought looked really smart, and also an office building on the ground of the old supporter's club, which is the open triangular spot on barrack road.
 
#14 ·
There's been so many proposed schemes for that area it's ridiculous. I think the very first 'gallowgate masterplan' proposal launched around 2001-2002 included a 18 storey tower. And wasn't that simpson plan for a 60 storey tower for this site as well? Shame there's been so much dithering about becuase there's a real potential to create something like potsdammerplatz here.
 
#15 ·
I still think an SJP extension would be good for the city, imgaine if it started now?, it would be complete in time for the 2015 Rugby World Cup, and the 2018 Football World Cup, if we win our bid. Of course though I doubt any new owner would start an extension untill Newcastle United are a Premiership Club once again. like it or not, but Newcastle United and SJP are big players for our city, and having say a 60,000-62,000 seater stadium can only be good for us.
Also even if it was expended, their would still be enough room to build over the Metro.

But the biggest question would be, is it viable to extend the Metro into Science City/ Downing Plaza?
 
#26 ·
apparently the Sandman hotel element of this (inside the old S&N HQ) will house a restaurant(s) on the ground floor. the CEO of the sandman firm said:

Next week, Gaglardi said, it will close a seven-million-pound ($12.7-million) deal on the former Scottish & Newcastle brewery's landmark tower in Newcastle on Tyne, England. It'll spend "that much again" to develop a 170-room hotel to be operated under the year-old, upper-scale Sandman Signature brand.

"We think, in England, they need a good dose of North American hospitality. We think there's room for North American room service, room sizes and even bed sizes," said tall, bulky Gaglardi, 41, who plays hockey twice a week with the Blazers team here.

There'll also be room in Newcastle for a Moxie's Grill, Shark Club Bar and Grill or Chop Restaurant -- but not a Denny's restaurant -- all of which the group owns.

http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/...=e73db88d-ea99-4b0a-a2c2-31471d27920a&k=19404
 
Top