Developers behind a £128 million regeneration of the derelict Forth Goods Yard in Newcastle believe the scheme can be a “catalyst” for change to the west of the city centre. The site, located behind Central Station, has lain largely disused and inaccessible for years, despite being seen by thousands of people crossing the Redheugh Bridge daily.
The proposals, put forward by Network Rail property company Platform4 and developer Bloc, include 514 build-to-rent apartments, a 650-space multi-storey car park (MSCP), and the conversion of 19 railway arches into potential shops or bars.
High Line-style park and wider vision
The flagship plans would also include the first phase of a New York-style linear park that could ultimately run 1.6km on a disused railway spur heading out of Central Station along Scotswood Road. That ‘High Line’ concept is one reason why the Goods Yard site, part of which is currently used as a temporary car park for railway staff, is seen as critical to the wider Forth Yards area.
City chiefs hope that 2,500 new homes could be built around the ex-industrial area over the next two decades – around half of which are earmarked for the riverside wasteland once home to the Elswick leadworks, now known as the Quayside West plot. That site next to the Utilita Arena has attracted more than £120 million of Government funding, but it could take until 2047 to come to full fruition.
Developers see faster progress and connectivity
The team behind the Forth Goods Yard plans believe their site can offer far more rapid progress and provide connections between Central Station that would make investment further west more viable. Platform4 partnerships director David Chubb said a transformation of the Network Rail-owned goods yard would act as a “message to investors” and become the “central piece of the jigsaw”.
“It is a key site in terms of the much wider area and bringing together connectivity between the city, the station, and the wider area known as Forth Yards as well. It is all about connectivity, that step forward. This is why this is such a critical first phase – without it, it doesn’t have the [joined-up] effect,” Mr Chubb said.
Heritage concerns and car park objections
The plans, unveiled last year, sparked concerns from heritage campaigners over the loss of an “irreplaceable” piece of hidden Victorian architecture. The building project would involve the demolition of most of a vaulted undercroft, the only surviving feature of the former Forth Banks Goods Station.
Nick Legget, development director at Blocwork, said around 30% of the undercroft could be retained and given “new life”, but structural and safety concerns meant the historical feature could not be entirely protected. The nearby Centre for Life has also objected to the scheme, claiming there is already “sufficient car parking in the city centre serving the train station”.
Car park requirement and future plans
Mr Chubb insisted the regeneration “cannot happen” without the multi-storey car park, saying its construction is a requirement placed by the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) on the development of the land. The new car park, intended for rail passengers only and priced at a higher tariff than other city centre sites, could allow for the reconfiguration of parking provision at the front of the station.
The station’s existing long-stay car park could instead be used as a new drop-off and pick-up location, as well as staff parking, with the aim of easing congestion on Neville Street. Central Station has seen passenger numbers grow from less than nine million a year pre-Covid to an estimated 12 million, and Mr Chubb says the new parking provision is needed to make it “fit for the future”.
A council spokesperson said: “The Forth Goods Yard site is a gateway to the wider Forth Yards brownfield regeneration area. The recently published draft Strategic Regeneration Framework for Newcastle and Gateshead urban core identifies the area as a priority location to increase by 16,000 the number of people living there by 2050. The council is working closely with Platform 4 and Bloc on their planning application to build new homes, a station car park and the first phase of the Scotswood high line project. At present there is no confirmed date when the application will be considered by the council’s planning committee.”
