Newcastle Central Station new entrances get go-ahead

One of the new entrances will be on Central Parkway, opposite the Centre for Life

A £4m plan to dramatically redesign Newcastle's Central Station has been given the green light.

The scheme includes two new entrances for the Victorian building, and the moving of its car parks and taxi rank.

Newcastle City Council bosses hope this will pave the way for a new multi-storey car park, 2,500 homes and offices on a nearby site.

A spokesman said the development would help with the economic recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Local Democracy Reporting Service said the work on the Grade I listed building, which was opened by Queen Victoria in 1850, will expose original features that have been hidden away for years.

The other new entrance will be on Neville Street

Councillor Ged Bell, the authority's cabinet member for employment and culture, said: "Newcastle Central Station is the gateway to the region.

"With rising passenger numbers, we need to ensure it offers a pleasant experience while playing its part to help the city recover and grow after the pandemic.

"The new entrances will open the station up to the wider area [and] by improving traffic flows at the front we hope to cut carbon emissions, helping the city become carbon-zero by 2030 and tackling climate change."