Willmott Dixon’s team in the North have been awarded a £22.9m contract to deliver a futuristic multi-storey car park in the Baltic Quarter of Gateshead.

Appointed by Gateshead Council through the Scape National Major Works framework, the project will deliver 1,000 parking spaces as part of an extensive regeneration of the area, which also includes a landmark Arena, Conference and Exhibition centre, anticipated to create around 2,000 new jobs and transform the Gateshead quayside.

The development will mark the 12th project delivered for Gateshead Council by Willmott Dixon, following the recent completion of the £12.8m ‘Riga’ office development in 2020, also located in the Baltic Quarter, which provided the first Grade-A office building in the Gateshead Quays area for over a decade.

Providing vital parking space to support the new £260m Newcastle Gateshead Quays development, this latest project for Gateshead Council involves constructing a 10 storey steel framed facility. There will also be 50 Electric Vehicle charge points, with the future potential provision of a further 300.

Other features include a new pay on exit parking management system, a dedicated disabled parking area and spaces for motorcycles. To reduce the carbon footprint of the building, a large array of photovoltaic (PV) panels will be situated above the top level of parking. Additional biodiversity measures are being implemented including a net gains adjustment.

The Car Park will link to a new road running through Baltic Quarter, which will connect Gateshead Quays with the A184 Felling Bypass. The road will contain a 30m wide landscaped corridor, lined with a generous boulevard of trees and contains sustainable urban drainage (SuDS). The plans also include walking and cycling routes, and the provision of habitats that encourage biodiversity.

Both the Link Road and the MSCP have been supported by £7m from the North East LEP through the Get Britain Building Fund.

Peter Udall, Strategic Director Economy, Innovation and Growth, Gateshead Council said:

“We are very excited to see this crucial piece of the Newcastle Gateshead Quays infrastructure work start on site. The car park is essential to Arena, Conference and Exhibition centre development, but will also provide much needed parking for the new Grade-A Riga office building and further developments on Baltic Quarter into the future. This is an important piece of a larger jigsaw that will be a catalyst for further development and the opportunities for new jobs and local businesses.”

Anthony Dillon, managing director for Willmott Dixon in the North, said:

“We are delighted to once again be working with Gateshead Council on this exciting and integral project as part of the transformation of the Gateshead Quays. Supporting local jobs and generating prosperity is at the heart of our business and through our extensive portfolio of work in the region, we have developed an expert local supply chain. Across the 11 projects we have previously delivered for Gateshead Council, we’ve invested more than £63.8m with local businesses within 20 miles of our projects, we look forward to furthering this trend.”

Mark Robinson, group chief executive of SCAPE, said:

“Investment in sustainable public infrastructure is vital to improving towns and cities, but it’s more important than ever now, as we look to stimulate the economic recovery.

“As one of our shareholders, Gateshead Council has chosen to accelerate this project through the SCAPE framework, in order to maximise the social value outcomes created through collaborative partnerships. I have no doubt that with Willmott Dixon’s expertise and the support of a strong, local supply chain, this will play a key part in the wider regeneration strategy for Gateshead Quays and support the region’s levelling up agenda.”

Willmott Dixon has extensive pedigree in delivering car park superstructures. In the summer of 2020, the company handed over the 1,450 space Kings Dock Car Park to Liverpool City Council, creating the largest car parking structure in the city. The business is also on site at Dorset County Hospital where they are delivering a 654 space, seven story car park, which once complete will deliver a biodiversity net gain of at least 10%.