Demolition of Gateshead Get Carter car park starts

The demolition of a multi-storey car park in Gateshead made famous by a 1970s gangster film has started.

Bulldozers moved on to the Trinity Square site, which featured in Michael Caine film Get Carter, three years after revamp plans were announced.

The 1960s car park became a landmark on the Gateshead skyline and some film fans and enthusiasts of the Brutalist architecture hoped it would be saved.

The demolition is expected to take eight weeks.

The car park is part of a site where there are plans for a £150m redevelopment including shops, offices, a student village and supermarket.

Plans by Tesco regeneration subsidiary Spenhill will be considered later this year.

'Losing front teeth'

The car park was designed by Owen Luder, who was in Gateshead to watch the demolition.

He said it was a sad day and that Gateshead was losing its "front teeth".

Mr Luder added he thought the car park should be kept and the shops below it revamped.

"It was allowed to deteriorate, it obviously looks an eyesore. In fact it could be renovated.

"The sad thing is of course that in 20 or 30 years time when they in fact are going to demolish what is going to be built now, there won't be interviews on that."