Member Article

First stage Newcastle Stephenson Quarter redevelopment reaches completion

The first completed phase of the £200m Stephenson Quarter development is bringing jobs and training to Newcastle through a novel city-wide partnership.

Around 130 employees, comprised chiefly of local people, now work at the newly opened Crowne Plaza Newcastle hotel. Training for existing and future staff is being provided by a partnership between the hotel, Gateshead and Newcastle colleges and Brenikov Training.

Clouston Group, the developer behind the project behind Newcastle Central Station, has now started marketing the nearby office building, The Rocket, which may accommodate up to 350 new jobs when fully occupied. The adjacent 360-space Stephenson Quarter multi-storey car park has also recently opened.

Michelle Percy, managing director of Stephenson Hotel Ltd and director of Clouston Group, explained: “This was a vision and development borne out of the recession, which with valuable City Council support, has started to come to fruition, creating new business premises and hospitality attractions for the city and wider region.”

Cllr Ged Bell, cabinet member for investment and development at Newcastle City Council, who recently visited the site, said: “The Stephenson Quarter is a prime example of what can be achieved through a strong and committed public private sector partnership. We kept our ambitions for the development alive through the economic downturn, and stayed true to our shared vision to bring the area back into use, embracing its rich engineering heritage.

“We’ve taken advantage of powers granted to us by securing a City Deal for Newcastle, which has enabled us to accelerate economic growth, create new jobs and bring forward major investment projects like Stephenson Quarter. We look forward to working together with Clouston Group in the next phases of the development.”

Michelle Percy added: “Interest is strong for the high quality office space we’ve got at the Rocket. Equally, corporate bookings and interest in the hotel is also better than we expected.

“Part of our vision at Clouston Group and one shared by the City Council was to design and develop Stephenson Quarter into a high value location, a distinct destination that the city can be proud of. We believe phase 1 sets the tone perfectly.

“As both developer and owner of Crowne Plaza Newcastle we didn’t simply want to establish a great physical asset within the city but also an environment that creates and attracts good value local jobs where people within the quarter’s hospitality sector will ultimately become a beacon of outstanding customer service.

“Our ambition is to embrace and promote the talent that exists in the region and showcase it to the rest of the country and beyond.”

IHG, parent group of Crowne Plaza, embraced the vision and ambition of Clouston Group and has confirmed it will establish Newcastle as its 200th IHG Academy in Europe.

Andrew Fox, general manager at Crowne Plaza Newcastle, explained: “For our site to be named an IHG Academy is a big coup for both us, our partners and the wider city. It shows the commitment to raising the standards of training and customer service.

“The Academy is a core pillar of IHG’s corporate responsibility strategy. It helps improve employability and create apprenticeships and local job opportunities around our hotels.

“Our Newcastle Academy programme will not only provide skilled, motivated and engaged people for Crowne Plaza but also create a talent pipeline for sister hotels within the Newcastle and wider area.”

Looking to promote your product/service to SME businesses in your region? Find out how Bdaily can help →