Gateshead College Durham Road Site | Gateshead | Various | Demolition

[johnnypd]

This £74m residential scheme on the former site of Gateshead College on Durham Road is being developed by Grainger PLC. It looks like it has the potential to be something quite special, with it being designed by none other than recent Stirling Prize winners Feilden Clegg Bradley Architects, the first practice to win the Stirling for a residential scheme. It includes family homes and apartments in a sensitively landscaped setting.

Chronicle write-up:

Employment boost as college site plan revealed

Sep 27 2007 by Nick Whitten, Evening Chronicle

MORE than 150 jobs will be created through the redevelopment of a Tyneside college site.

A mix of family homes and flats, complemented by a neighbourhood shop, has been designed to herald a new community on the site of Gateshead College.

Our exclusive fly-through pictures, which can be seen at www.chroniclelive.co.uk, reveal the plans.

Newcastle developer Grainger plc, which bought the 10-acre site on Durham Road earlier this year, is holding a public exhibition of the plans today.

Two public consultation days have already been held, but the new development has attracted so much local interest that Grainger has decided to hold a third.

Visitors will be able to see the plans in more detail and hear how the scheme will fit into the site’s conservation area status.

They will also have a chance to make suggestions so these can be incorporated while the proposed scheme is still on the drawing board – and help to choose a name for the site.

Nicola Osborne, Grainger’s director of development, said: “We’ve been delighted by the response to our invitation for local people to get involved with our vision for the Gateshead site.

“We understand how much value local residents can add and genuinely want to give every opportunity to hear their views about the proposals, along with any ideas and suggestions they might have.”

She added: “When we first bought the site we said it deserved a very special treatment, and, hopefully, that’s exactly what we’ve come up with.

“We want to turn it into one of the most sought-after addresses in the region and believe buyers of all ages will be attracted by the location and the pleasant, leafy setting.”

The college moves next April to new premises at the Baltic Business Quarter.

In-depth reports by Grainger into traffic and road use, the ecology of the site including wildlife and drainage, and the history of the entire area have been carried out and the findings fed into the proposals.

There are plans for a mix of prestigious and affordable housing, along with pedestrian access through the development to link Durham Road with Saltwell Park, as well as for the retention and refurbishment of historic North Dene House.

Mature trees will be retained at the former campus and any that are diseased will be removed and replaced. Historic views through to Saltwell Park will also be restored.

Nicola Osborne added: “This is the start of a new era for the site. We can promise a high-quality development, complementing the heritage of the surrounding area, which will bring fresh vitality and appeal.”

Video fly-through of the site: http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/video...2703-19858079/

Images:

[bigchrisfgb]

Looks pretty

[Dan_NUFC]

I went to college there for six months before we moved to the campus down near the Baltic. I was based in that old house in the 3rd and 4th pictures and I really liked it, glad to see that it isn't being knocked down. North Dene House it is called.

[johnnypd]

sorry about the picture quality, most the pics are a little grainy as they're taken from planning documents.

[bigchrisfgb]

Originally Posted by johnnypd

sorry about the picture quality, most the pics are a little grainy as they're taken from planning documents.

Picture quality is good, just not the design quality.

I mean they look like cheap Spanish Villa's with cheap timber slung across them, which will weather badly, and already look bad. If anyone ants to seewhat it will look like, then go along to Shiremoor doctors and Library where you will be able to see yourself at how bad it will look. Similar design, plaster which is painted, and panles of wood, looks horrible, and it would not fit in next to those terraced houses.

I'm rather dissapointed with Gateshead coming up with that one, they have not been doing bad with building designes in the last few years, now it looks like thay are going make up for it.

[AngerOfTheNorth]

If they're anything like Accordia (google it), they'll be brilliant. The worry is that Gateshead will get a cheap, knock-off version, although I'd like to think that SFCB would never design anything like that.

By the way, I thought that this had been refused?

[johnnypd]

Originally Posted by AngerOfTheNorth

If they're anything like Accordia (google it), they'll be brilliant. The worry is that Gateshead will get a cheap, knock-off version, although I'd like to think that SFCB would never design anything like that.

By the way, I thought that this had been refused?

http://www.graingerplc.co.uk/view-de...asp?dt=1&did=1

Says here that planning consent was gained in July 2009.

Accordia is the one in Cambridge that won the Stirling Prize.

[AngerOfTheNorth]

Does anyone have an update on this at all? I went past the site yesterday and not much seems to be happening.

If built, this could arguably be the best new housing development in Tyneside, blowing the likes of the Staithes out of the water...

[Newcastle Guy]

From what I can see those look better than most of the stuff that gets put up these days, such as those abortions that Barratt Homes like to call housing estates. If the material quality is of a good standard, this could be a nice development.

[Newcastle Historian]

It has been a while since this question was asked . . .

I haven't heard anything at all about this potentially very interesting development.

Has anyone else heard anything?

[kedos]

I would say give it a month or so (say end of March) and there may be more info about it

[AngerOfTheNorth]

Fingers crossed...

[ferret88]

I used to go to Gateshead College when it was there, good memories. Most of my time there was actually spent up the hill at their sister site on Sheriffs Hill which I think used to be a high school?

I was shocked to discover that that site was demolished a while ago, does anyone have any details of this? Why did they flatten such a building that could have been used for so many things and has there been anything put in its place since? There wasn't the last time I checked Google Earth.

F

[kedos]

It's not demolished yet! Still showing on Google Maps: http://maps.google.co.uk/?ie=UTF8&hq...,0.016512&z=17

[bigchrisfgb]

Originally Posted by kedos

It's not demolished yet! Still showing on Google Maps: http://maps.google.co.uk/?ie=UTF8&hq...,0.016512&z=17

Google maps is atleast 2 years out of date.

[ferret88]

Originally Posted by kedos

It's not demolished yet! Still showing on Google Maps: http://maps.google.co.uk/?ie=UTF8&hq...,0.016512&z=17

Wrong one, the place I went to was on Elgin Road and was called the Broadway Centre. It looked very much like it used to be a high or secondary school.

I'm not sure how to clip a picture of it on google earth but here are the coordinates -

Latitude 54°56'53.60"N

Longitude 1°35'3.73"W

And as you can see it, apart from the sports hall that was adjacent to it, is well and truly flattened.

F

[AngerOfTheNorth]

I hear that the Gateshead College site near the park, which had permission for a great development by Grainger and Feilden Clegg Bradley, has seen a new application go in. A big drop in the number of units and quality. Anyone seen or head anything?

A real pity, but to be expected...

[Ken O'Heed]

Originally Posted by AngerOfTheNorth

I hear that the Gateshead College site near the park, which had permission for a great development by Grainger and Feilden Clegg Bradley, has seen a new application go in. A big drop in the number of units and quality. Anyone seen or head anything?

A real pity, but to be expected...

Information from http://public.gateshead.gov.uk/online-applications/

and then inputting "Address" information, gives -


Reference DC/11/01356/FUL


Application Received Thu 24 Nov 2011


Address Former Gateshead College Durham Road Gateshead

Proposal Redevelopment of former Gateshead College site to provide 175 dwellings, including 16 live/work units, and associated access, open space and landscaping.

Status Pending


http://public.gateshead.gov.uk/onlin...=LV7OMWHK07K00

gives comments, documents etc

KEN

[AngerOfTheNorth]

That's awful. A bog-standard housebuilder scheme with a few bolt-on features. Not a big surprise, but what a massively wasted opportunity.

[johnnypd]

Originally Posted by AngerOfTheNorth

That's awful. A bog-standard housebuilder scheme with a few bolt-on features. Not a big surprise, but what a massively wasted opportunity.

yes genuinely disappointing. this would've been a great leap forward in suburban housing projects on Tyneside, and may well have garnered national attention and awards. last project that did that was staithes south bank but i actually think this scheme was superior in a few ways.