Renowned developers could be set to breathe new life into Old Town Hall

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21 June 2024

Gateshead's "huge potential" and its ambition for the future of the town centre has prompted celebrated developers to set their sights on the area.

Capital & Centric, who are badged as social impact developers, view Gateshead as part of an expansion plan to bring their brand of regeneration to the North East. 

The team - known for delivering standout neighbourhoods and bringing historic buildings back to life - have identified the town and region as a natural growth area.

They are in now talks with Gateshead Council to potentially develop the Old Town Hall and sites around it. The council owns the freehold of the site, and a 250-year lease is in place to allow regeneration plans to come forward.

It is part of the developers' nationwide hunt for challenging brownfield sites that have not come to fruition over the years, as they seek to expand beyond their home stomping ground in Manchester. 

Capital & Centric are well-known for restoring mundane spaces and transforming them into modern developments. Some of their best-known projects include Manchester's Crusader Mill, and the iconic Littlewoods art-deco building in Liverpool, which they transformed into a film studio.

Co-founders Tim Heatley and Adam Higgins featured on Channel 4's Big Interiors Battlelast year, where budding designers competed to win a two-bed flat, they designed in the Grade II listed Eyewitness former cutlery works in the heart of Sheffield.

The pair have steadily gained a solid reputation for imaginative reinventions of old buildings and brownfield sites, from Victorian mills to brutalist concrete 60s relics.

They are currently working on a conversion of Talbot Mill - one of Manchester's oldest and largest untouched mills. Brownfield projects are also underway in Liverpool, Newcastle-under-Lyme, Stoke-on-Trent, and Wolverhampton. 

Anneliese Hutchinson, the council's Interim Strategic Director for Economy, Innovation and Growth, said: 

"Capital & Centric's record of accomplishment in developing historic buildings nationwide by breathing new life into them speaks volumes and we look forward to working with them on plans to regenerate our town centre.  

"The Old Town Hall is a jewel in the crown for Gateshead as it is the only surviving purpose-built Victorian town hall in Tyne and Wear and is one of only five comparable listed Victorian town halls in the North East.

"The Grade II listed building was the council headquarters for almost 120 years, before the council chamber, civic suite and most council offices relocated to the new Civic Centre in 1987. The building has latterly been in use by a few social and cultural sector bodies, but it has always been our intention to look at a more permanent solution." 

John Moffat, joint managing director at Capital & Centric said: 

"Gateshead has huge potential, and the council has real ambition for the future of the town centre.

"We are proud of our track record in turning around problem brownfield sites and are actively looking to repeat our success in the North East. For us, it is not just about bricks and mortar, it is all about creating genuine neighbourhoods that pique interest from a design perspective and encourage a sense of pride locally. 

"We are in discussions with the council about getting involved in key sites in Gateshead and things are looking promising. As soon as we can, we will reveal more about what is in store as part of community consultation with local people."