New plans for Gateshead Quayside arena put forward after costs force redesign

A fresh application has been made for a redesigned 12,500 capacity arena and conference centre.

The development on the Gateshead Quayside had previously been approved in 2020 but has been redesigned due to costs rising from £260m to £330m.

A new planning application for the scheme, on land between the Sage Gateshead and the Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art, has been submitted to Gateshead Council by developers Ask:PATRIZIA.

It is expected a planning committed will decide on the plans in the summer and it is hoped the building work could start in the autumn.

The scheme has secured £20m of levelling up from the government to help cover the costs.

The new development will be known as The Sage, with Sage PLC having bought the naming rights for it.

The existing Sage concert venue next door is due to be renamed.

The new design does not include an 11-storey hotel, which instead will be built on a nearby plot at the corner of Quarryfield Road and Hawks Road.

In its place, is a "linear park" between the riverside and Baltic Business Quarter.

Both the arena and the exhibition centre have also undergone minor design changes.

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