Cost of Shields Ferry Fish Quay rescue plan soars again as leaders pull out all the stops
The cost of building a new landing for the Shields Ferry has jumped by millions of pounds.
It has emerged that more money will be needed to build a long-planned replacement for the ferry’s north landing in North Shields.
After repeated warnings that the river crossing was at serious risk of being shut down unless cash could be found for a new jetty close to the North Shields Fish Quay, a funding package was agreed by North East mayor Kim McGuinness last summer.
But she and other members of the North East Combined Authority (NECA) cabinet are now being asked to hand over almost £6 million more, with the estimated bill for the project having escalated.
A further £5.9 million award to ferry and Metro operator Nexus is due to be signed off at a NECA cabinet meeting next Tuesday, where the recently-announced final £6.3 million of Government funding for the Tyne Bridge’s restoration will also be given the formal seal of approval.
It is hoped that the new ferry landing, which will receive at least £18.6 million of public funding, will be completed by 2027 - safeguarding trips from North to South Shields over the River Tyne.
Ms McGuinness, said: “I said in my election campaign we would save the Shields Ferry and now we are close to agreeing a final funding package to bring it to the Fish Quay for the first time. Next week, we’ll discuss approving the remaining money needed to get a new landing built with work starting next year. The old landing urgently needs to be replaced, so we’re pulling out all the stops to get this project delivered for local people.
“This is about more than just the ferry service people rely on to get to work – it helps create jobs in restaurants, shops and the fishing industry by linking the Fish Quay to South Shields for the first time, bringing in more visitors and fitting with our £18 million investment in a new college to revitalise South Shields town centre.
“The ferry is iconic – thousands of people use it every day and each year during the Great North Run weekend we get to see what an amazing link it truly is getting runners and spectators home safely. We’re getting on with delivering major transformative change across our transport network and this is just one more example.”
Back in 2020, the estimated price of a new landing to replace the deteriorating one at Smiths Dock was just £8.8 million.
Since then, Nexus lost a £5.6 million grant from the Government’s Getting Building Fund because it could not meet a “strict” requirement to complete construction by spring 2022. The project was later included in a Levelling Up Fund bid from North Tyneside Council for a wider regeneration of North Shields, but the application was unsuccessful.
Nexus said in 2024 that the cost estimate stood then at £14.6 million due to the effects of inflation, but that has now jumped even further.
The publicly-owned organisation indicated that the rising bill was because of the “very complex” nature of building a new landing at the Fish Quay, but said it could not confirm the full costs until it had appointed a contractor.
Next week’s tranche of funding will be diverted from a pot intended for Nexus’ integrated and smart ticketing programme, which a NECA report says “no longer requires” all of an allocation it was given last year.
It will add to previous allocations of £8.2 million from the City Region Sustainable Transport Settlements (CRSTS) programme and £4.58 million from the Transforming Cities Fund, both signed off in the past 12 months.
It is understood that Nexus may need to stump up extra money itself if the final bill exceeds what has been allocated by NECA so far.
Cathy Massarella, managing director of Nexus, said: “This funding announcement for the new Shields Ferry landing is hugely welcome and is great news for our customers and our workforce. This is a crucial project for the long-term sustainability of ferry operations on the Tyne and so supports the Mayor’s vision for a world-class integrated transport network.
“The relocated landing will greatly improve the ferry experience for customers, improve connections to North Shields town centre and help businesses along the Fish Quay grow.
“This is a complex scheme, one that requires the use of specialist marine suppliers, the mitigation of environmental impacts and the protection of the existing quay operations.”