St James' Stack looks set to go ahead as planned
Police have dropped their objections to a proposed fan zone outside St James' Park, meaning the development looks set to go ahead as planned.
Northumbria Police and Newcastle City Council's licensing authority withdraw their opposition to the new Stack venue ahead of a licensing hearing on October 17.
Police had raised concerns that a fan zone directly outside the stadium would lead to "crime and disorder" but Stack bosses have agreed to impose stricter conditions on its licence, promising to "observe and seek to give effect to any reasonable direction made by Northumbria Police at high risk times".
Stack has requested a licence to sell alcohol every day from 10am to midnight not limited to match days.
Council licensing chief Jonathan Bryce said that a promise that the venue will have 350 seats had given him "some reassurance" and that its licence had been "built on significantly" since the original objections were made.
The Newcastle United fan zone, which is expected to open Spring 2024 on a temporary three-year basis, would be made up of a collection of bars and street vendors over two floors with a seating area and stage.
Barrister Charles Holland, representing Stack, said the plans offered a brighter future for the former car park. It is hoped it will create 150 new jobs.
The outcome of the hearing has not yet been formally announced but the Local Democracy Reporting Service understands the council's licensing sub-committee has signed off on an operating licence for the 3,000 capacity fan park in Strawberry Place.
The venue will not be allowed to open until the local authority approves a noise management plan for the site but the council's environmental health department has said it is satisfied noise can be limited using a "state of the art sound system" - despite councillors lodging objections.
Plans for the site were granted approval last month.
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