South Tyneside Council earmarks riverside building for student accommodation

A riverfront building in South Shields could be transformed into student accommodation.

South Tyneside Council has earmarked the One Harton Quay building to be repurposed and brought back into use as a 125-bed student accommodation facility under plans to relocate South Tyneside College.

The four-storey glass office building, which was previously BT’s business centre, could form one of the key sites which will facilitate the move of the college and South Shields Marine School to South Shields town centre.

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The local authority is expected to submit a planning application to its own planning department in the coming weeks.

Cllr Tracey Dixon, Leader of South Tyneside Council, has stated that bringing the building back into use would further complement ongoing investment in the Mill Dam area.

From left: Tony Lister, Managing Director at Castle, Dr Lindsey Whiterod CBE, Chief Executive of South Tyneside College, Cllr Tracey Dixon, Leader of South Tyneside Council and Cllr Margaret Meling, Lead Member Economic Growth and Transport, in front of the One Harton Quay building.From left: Tony Lister, Managing Director at Castle, Dr Lindsey Whiterod CBE, Chief Executive of South Tyneside College, Cllr Tracey Dixon, Leader of South Tyneside Council and Cllr Margaret Meling, Lead Member Economic Growth and Transport, in front of the One Harton Quay building.
From left: Tony Lister, Managing Director at Castle, Dr Lindsey Whiterod CBE, Chief Executive of South Tyneside College, Cllr Tracey Dixon, Leader of South Tyneside Council and Cllr Margaret Meling, Lead Member Economic Growth and Transport, in front of the One Harton Quay building. | South Tyneside Council

She said: “One Harton Quay is a real landmark on the riverside and it would be fantastic to bring it back into use.

“Part of our regeneration ambition has focused on strengthening the connection between the town centre and the riverside.

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“Generating footfall between the main campus and the student accommodation would do exactly that, complementing the investment that is going into the Mill Dam area.

“This building will also allow us to provide more accommodation units.

“We and our partners are going to create a modern campus and accommodation.

“Our young people are going to be educated and trained in state-of-the-art facilities, gaining the skills they need to access jobs in leading industries such as the green economy.”

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The Council states that the site would remain in its ownership as a development opportunity.

Dr Lindsey Whiterod CBE, Chief Executive of South Tyneside College, has branded the potential of repurposing One Harton Quay as another ‘key milestone’ in the college’s relocation.

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She commented: "One Harton Quay is a fantastic building and would be the perfect riverside location for our South Shields Marine School students.

"It will encourage footfall between the riverside and town centre and in doing so support the Council's regeneration ambitions.

“This is another key milestone in our exciting plans."

Planning permission has already been granted for the 14,000spm campus and refurbishment of a Grade-II listed building on Barrington Street.

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Work is expected to start on site later this year, with a view for the new college to be ready to welcome students as part of the 2027 September intake.

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