Major update on new world-class North East facility – with hopes of finding next Jade Thirlwall
A “world class” recording studio in the North East is set to open in a matter of months after winning the approval of planners.
The project to turn the historic Coronation Building on the Newcastle Quayside into a state-of-the-art music and podcast production hub has now secured approval from the city council.
It is hoped that the vision will offer a huge boost to Tyneside’s cultural sector, on the back of Newcastle hosting both the MOBO Awards and Mercury Prize this year, and give more talented local artists the opportunity to emulate the likes of Sam Fender and South Shields-born Jade Thirlwall.
A conversion of the building is already under way and it is hoped it will open in April 2026.
After planning permission for the scheme was granted, city council leader Karen Kilgour said: “This is fantastic news. These amazing studios will provide our up-and-coming talent with the very latest music technology to make great music, launch careers and put the city on the map. Artists will no longer need to go to Manchester or London for the best facilities, they will have them right here in Newcastle.
“After hosting the Mercury Prize Awards and the MOBOs Newcastle really has burst onto the international music stage. Building these studios on our beautiful quayside will help keep it that way while providing endless opportunities to make dreams come true.”
The idea of creating a recording studio on the Quayside was announced by record label giant Warner Music UK and music development agency Generator last year and has since been backed with £1.8 million from North East mayor Kim McGuinness.
Proposals to convert the grade II listed Coronation Building, which is owned by the Live Theatre and was previously used as offices until being vacated in June this year, were approved despite a series of local objections.
Neighbours in the Baltic Chambers building raised concerns about the stripping out of the historic building, which was built in 1903 for coal and timber merchants Pyman, Bell and Co, as well as noise, access, and parking concerns.
According to the planning application, much of the building’s interior was lost in a 1980s refurbishment – with its entrance hall and staircase among the few remaining original features.
Council planners concluded that, given the previous alterations and the “underuse” of the building, the renovations would be acceptable from a heritage standpoint and that it “would not detrimentally impact on neighbours”.
North East mayor Kim McGuinness said: “Seeing music being recorded on the banks of the Tyne will send a strong message to our artists making music across the region – you can do it here. I’m really excited to see what new talent will follow in the footsteps of homegrown stars like Sting, Jade Thirlwall and Sam Fender.
“This studio forms part of my vision to give the North East the place it deserves on the global music map, and shows we are investing to create real opportunity for new generations of talent.”
Live Theatre chief executive Jacqui Kell called the development an “incredibly exciting step” that “ opens the door for new talent to thrive right here in Newcastle”.
Chief executive of Generator, Mick Ross, said the studios were “exactly the kind of infrastructure the region has needed for decades”.
He added: “This is more than a building. It’s a statement of intent: talent from the North no longer needs to leave to succeed. Generator is proud to be driving that future.”