Council leader addresses North East's big arena question – amid £65m plan and Gateshead Quays doubt

Legends Global, who operate the arena, announced major plans to extend and refurbish the venue in December – promising to make it “fit for the future”.

The improvements could see the arena’s capacity increase by 20%, bars and dressing rooms revamped, and new premium lounges opened.

But the plans come amid lingering uncertainty surrounding the regeneration of the Gateshead Quays, where a new 12,500-capacity arena is meant to be built.

That vast development proposal, which also includes an international conference centre, was meant to act as a replacement for the existing arena on the other side of the Tyne.

Construction of the Quayside complex is still yet to start, after the project was hit by spiralling costs and years of delays, and it remains unclear what will become of the vacant plot of prime riverside land between the Glasshouse music centre and Baltic art gallery.

Questioned about the future of the Utilita Arena on Wednesday, Newcastle City Council leader Karen Kilgour said that the site’s proposed refurbishment of the venue would not necessarily mean it would remain in the long-term.

The future of the arena, which opened in 1995, also has significance for the council’s vision of 2,500 new homes in the Forth Yards area surrounding it.

Coun Kilgour told a full council meeting: “The council, alongside partners in the Forth Yards site, have had and will continue to have constructive discussions with Legends Global and other stakeholders Investment in the Utlita Arena is welcome and reflects its role as an important North East cultural asset, supporting jobs, footfall, and the wider visitor economy through the attraction of high-profile events. That investment does not undermine the council’s wider regeneration ambitions and the council remains committed to developing a clear and coherent masterplan for Forth Yards, alongside a strategic regeneration framework for the urban core to ensure that future development is well-planned, coordinated, and delivers lasting benefit for Newcastle and the wider city region.”

Asked by Lib Dem opposition leader Colin Ferguson whether there was a need for both Newcastle and Gateshead to have an arena, she added: “I don’t think this announcement necessarily means we will end up with two arenas and I don’t think it necessarily means that the arena on the Newcastle side will remain. I think discussions are ongoing with both parties and we certainly remain in discussions and are supportive of our colleagues in Gateshead.

“But in the meantime this announcement does not impact on our wider regeneration aims for Forth Yards, which is our primary consideration.”

Last week, Gateshead Council’s leadership rejected Lib Dem calls for its Quays “pipe dream” to be abandoned and the disused land given over to housebuilding.

Officials said that negotiations over the site’s future are at a “very delicate” stage but that the council’s development partner, Ask:PATRIZIA, is still on board and “confident” in the regeneration blueprint.

The North East mayor’s office stepped in last year to carry out a review of the plans and assess what market demand there is for the proposed development, with the findings of that evaluation expected in the coming months.