Article: published on 18 October 2023

Police have dropped objections to a football "fan zone" created from shipping containers and located directly outside Newcastle United's stadium.

Plans for the Stack development were unanimously approved by Newcastle City Council last month.

Northumbria Police and the council's licensing authority were worried about large numbers of drinkers outside St James's Park.

However, councillors have been told Stack bosses have allayed those fears by agreeing to stricter conditions on their licence.

The development, to be built from 50 shipping containers on a disused car park near St James Metro station, will house bars, food outlets, large screens and a music stage.

It will have a capacity of 3,000 and be open seven days a week, with operators asking for a licence to sell alcohol daily from 10:00 to midnight.

The venue's operators have promised to “observe and seek to give effect to any reasonable direction made by Northumbria Police” in relation to crowd management at “high risk” times, the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) said.

Tuesday's licensing hearing decision has not been formally announced but the LDRS understands the sub-committee has approved the venue's operating licence.

Documents published last week outlined police concerns about the prospect of the fan zone concentrating a large number of drinkers immediately outside the ground.

But these objections were withdrawn before the hearing.

The land was previously sold by the club's former owner Mike Ashley before being bought back by the new Saudi-led ownership.

Barrister Charles Holland, representing Stack, told the committee it was "high time that something more useful and beneficial to the community" was done with the disused car park.

“The land, as we are all aware, has not been put to the best use over the past decade for a site of that importance," he said.

City centre Labour councillors remain concerned about the noise impact on nearby residents. 

Jane Byrne, who represents Monument ward, said there had been “no consideration given by the applicant to limiting noise, which will have a significant detrimental impact on local residents”. 

Mr Holland told the committee noise worries were a “cut and paste myth” and there was "no evidence" that the similar venue on Pilgrim Street "caused significant, considerable noise problems to residents".

"Even if there was it is not relevant to your determination,” he said.

The council’s environmental health department has said it was satisfied noise from the venue could be limited by using a “state-of-the-art sound system”.

The site is now expected to open in Spring 2024 on a temporary three-year basis.

Follow BBC North East & Cumbria on X (formerly Twitter), external, Facebook, external and Instagram, external. Send your story ideas to northeastandcumbria@bbc.co.uk.