Councillors agree to demolish flyover
The Gateshead Highway flyover will be pulled down as council leaders continue at pace with ambitious plans to regenerate the area as a gateway into the town centre and borough.
The flyover was closed to traffic on 13 December last year by Gateshead Council, which has responsibility for the structure, over concerns for safety. Routes below the flyover were also closed.
The structure has been regularly inspected and repaired by the council over the years, but new reports in December revealed one of the supporting pillars was in danger of collapsing, prompting the council to take immediate action.
Since then, work has been underway to repair two pillars with talks ongoing over the future of the flyover, with the view that demolishing it would not only be more cost effective than repairing it over the long term, but it would also enable a regeneration opportunity like no other.
The council has long been wanting to demolish the structure as part of ambitious plans to revitalise the town centre and beyond, making the gateway into the borough much more appealing to residents and visitors alike.
However, despite putting in bids to the previous government to carry out these plans, the council has never been given the funding it requires to do this.
Fresh talks have now begun with new government ministers and the North East Combined Authority to provide the business case to enable these plans to be brought to life.
Now Cabinet members have officially approved plans to demolish the flyover, at a meeting held in Gateshead Civic Centre. The recommendation is to demolish the flyover as soon as practically possible. The report also highlights the ongoing work with partners on emerging plans around transport and regeneration and necessary funding.
Councillor Martin Gannon, Leader of Gateshead Council, said: "We have spent millions over the years propping up and repairing this structure, and we will have to keep on doing this unless we pull it down.
"We have been clear over the years that if we are to make a real difference to Gateshead's future and the prosperity of our residents, then we need to do something radical to attract inward investment. The flyover acts as a barrier to our town centre and isn't a necessary structure that we need in terms of transport.
"We need to take the opportunity this closure has presented us with, and that is to demolish the flyover ideally within the year, paving the way for us to make Gateshead and the town centre attractive for investors, businesses, residents, and visitors. This is how we will increase footfall into this area, and how we will increase spend in our borough, keeping our Gateshead pound local which in turn benefits our residents and our shared prosperity."
The report to Cabinet also outlined the key decisions, events and expenditure incurred to date on the flyover. The full report can be found here.
This comes just after a bus lane and footpath under the flyover were reopened. This follows extensive repairs to two pillars which were failing, giving residents locally the ability to use the footpaths underneath the flyover once again while enabling better commuting times on public transport. The latest news story on this can be found here.
The Gateshead Highway flyover will be pulled down as council leaders continue at pace with ambitious plans to regenerate the area as a gateway into the town centre and borough.
The flyover was closed to traffic on 13 December last year by Gateshead Council, which has responsibility for the structure, over concerns for safety. Routes below the flyover were also closed.
The structure has been regularly inspected and repaired by the council over the years, but new reports in December revealed one of the supporting pillars was in danger of collapsing, prompting the council to take immediate action.
Since then, work has been underway to repair two pillars with talks ongoing over the future of the flyover, with the view that demolishing it would not only be more cost effective than repairing it over the long term, but it would also enable a regeneration opportunity like no other.
The council has long been wanting to demolish the structure as part of ambitious plans to revitalise the town centre and beyond, making the gateway into the borough much more appealing to residents and visitors alike.
However, despite putting in bids to the previous government to carry out these plans, the council has never been given the funding it requires to do this.
Fresh talks have now begun with new government ministers and the North East Combined Authority to provide the business case to enable these plans to be brought to life.
Now Cabinet members have officially approved plans to demolish the flyover, at a meeting held in Gateshead Civic Centre. The recommendation is to demolish the flyover as soon as practically possible. The report also highlights the ongoing work with partners on emerging plans around transport and regeneration and necessary funding.
Councillor Martin Gannon, Leader of Gateshead Council, said: "We have spent millions over the years propping up and repairing this structure, and we will have to keep on doing this unless we pull it down.
"We have been clear over the years that if we are to make a real difference to Gateshead's future and the prosperity of our residents, then we need to do something radical to attract inward investment. The flyover acts as a barrier to our town centre and isn't a necessary structure that we need in terms of transport.
"We need to take the opportunity this closure has presented us with, and that is to demolish the flyover ideally within the year, paving the way for us to make Gateshead and the town centre attractive for investors, businesses, residents, and visitors. This is how we will increase footfall into this area, and how we will increase spend in our borough, keeping our Gateshead pound local which in turn benefits our residents and our shared prosperity."
The report to Cabinet also outlined the key decisions, events and expenditure incurred to date on the flyover. The full report can be found here.
This comes just after a bus lane and footpath under the flyover were reopened. This follows extensive repairs to two pillars which were failing, giving residents locally the ability to use the footpaths underneath the flyover once again while enabling better commuting times on public transport. The latest news story on this can be found here.
