Cash boost for riverbank site redevelopment

The Forth Yards site, in the west of the Newcastle, has been earmarked for redevelopment

A £5m investment for the redevelopment of a former leadworks site has been agreed.

Planners hope the Forth Yards site, which is near the Utilita Arena in Newcastle, will deliver thousands of homes, along with office and commercial space.

At a meeting on Tuesday, the North East Combined Authority (NECA) agreed to the funding which will allow the reparation work on the site to begin.

North East Mayor Kim McGuinness said she hoped the redevelopment of the site would "create communities where people flourish".

The brownfield site of the former Elswick Leadworks has been earmarked for development for years.

Speaking at the meeting, cabinet member for housing Norma Redfearn said: "There is a great need for houses because it hasn’t been top of the agenda for some time, particularly social housing.

"For anyone, one of the most important things is to have a roof over their heads. We also have to provide houses for businesses and their staff."

Plans for the site also include a Newcastle "highline", which would create a pedestrian and cycleway on a stretch of railway viaduct, connecting it to the central station.

Ms McGuinness said NECA would "build homes local people need and create places with shops, green spaces and transport links".

"As mayor I will not sit back and let scrub land sit idle when our towns and cities are crying out for a new lease of life," she said. "I will drive forward the transformation our region needs – so we go from brownfield to beautiful; from empty to thriving; and create communities where people flourish."