Member Article

Ice proposals unveiled for Gateshead Stadium

Gateshead Council has launched a search for a development partner to help it transform Gateshead International Stadium into a Sports Village.

The proposed seven acre development would offer a range of new sporting facilities to complement the existing International Stadium, Indoor Athletics Hall, sports academy and English Institute of Sport Performance Centre.

The centrepiece of the new development would be a new ice arena catering for public skating, ice hockey and other ice events, with expressions of interest from potential developers and operators currently being sought.

The announcement was made on Sunday 24 August at Gateshead International Stadium as part of the Olympic ‘Fly The Flag’ ceremony, where the Mayor of Gateshead, Councillor Maureen Chaplin was joined by two young athletes from Gateshead Harriers to raise Gateshead’s Olympic Flag. The ceremony coincided with the handover of the Olympic Flag to the Mayor of London as part of the closing ceremonies of the Beijing Olympic Games.

Councillor David Napier, Cabinet member for Culture, said: “Gateshead International Stadium is already a world-famous athletics venue, and its reputation as a major training facility is growing. Our aim now is to capitalise on what we already have here by developing something really special.

“Gateshead Council is investing £29m in new sport and leisure facilities in Gateshead, building two new leisure facilities and redeveloping Gateshead Leisure Centre, Dunston Pool and Birtley Pool. Now we are looking for a developer to take on an even bigger challenge, by creating the region’s top ice arena and laying the foundations to a sports village worthy of Olympic champions.”

As well as an ice arena, development interest is also being sought for a range of other facilities, such as a Snowdome offering all-season winter sports, a Links golf course, retail facilities, restaurants and cafes.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .