Yahoo News Leisure developers set their sights on striking Grade II North East town hall
A developer has set their sights on a neglected North East town hall, earmarking it for "social impact redevelopment."
Capital&Centric have set their sights on Gateshead's Old Town Hall as part of an expansion plan to bring their brand of regeneration to the North East.
The municipal heart of Gateshead for some 120 years, the Victorian grade two listed building previously housed offices, the council’s main debating chamber, a magistrates’ court complete with cell block, a police station and a police house.
With previous projects breathing life into old buildings by converting them into mixed-use community buildings, restaurants, film studios, modular homes, and hotels, the redevelopment firm could turn the brownfield site into a local asset.
The team – known for delivering "standout neighbourhoods" and bringing historic buildings back to life – have identified Gateshead and the North East region as a "natural area for expansion."
The potential Gateshead expansion is part of their nationwide hunt for challenging brownfield sites that have not come to fruition over the years, as they seek to expand beyond their home stomping ground in Manchester.
Locals may have seen Capital&Centric’s founders Tim Heatley and Adam Higgins on their TV screens, in the likes of Channel 4’s Big Interiors Battle and the BBC’s Manctopia. They’ve steadily gained a solid reputation for imaginative reinventions of old buildings and brownfield sites, from Victorian mills to brutalist concrete 60s relics.
Gateshead Council’s Interim Strategic Director for Economy, Innovation and Growth, Anneliese Hutchinson said:
“Capital and Centric’s record of accomplishment in developing historic buildings nationwide by breathing new life into them speaks volumes and we look forward to hopefully working with them to regenerate our town centre.
“The Old Town Hall is a jewel in the crown for Gateshead as it is the only surviving purpose-built Victorian town hall in Tyne and Wear and is one of only five comparable listed Victorian town halls in the Northeast.
“The Grade II listed building was the council headquarters for almost 120 years, before the council chamber, civic suite and most council offices relocated to the new Civic Centre in 1987. The building has latterly been in use by a few social and cultural sector bodies, but it has always been our intention to look at a more permanent solution.”
The developers are currently working on an intensive conversation of Talbot Mill - one of Manchester’s oldest and largest untouched mills – as well as creating a brand-new HQ for the team in the city’s Piccadilly East neighbourhood.
They’ve also just finished repurposing a former cutlery works in Sheffield, and have major brownfield projects in Liverpool, Newcastle-under-Lyme, Stoke-on-Trent and Wolverhampton.
John Moffat, joint managing director at Capital&Centric said:
“Gateshead has huge potential and the council have real ambition for the future of the town centre.
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"We’re proud of our track record in turning around problem brownfield sites and are actively looking to repeat our success here in the North East.
"For us, it’s not just about bricks and mortar. It’s all about creating genuine neighbourhoods that pique interest from a design perspective and encourage a sense of pride locally.
“We’re in discussions with the council about getting involved in key sites in Gateshead and things are looking promising. As soon as we can, we’ll reveal more about what’s in store as part of community consultation with local people.”
