Step inside the Wheel Terminus at Newcastle’s proposed £100m Quayside regeneration

Plans are in for a project to build Europe’s tallest observation wheel in the centre of Newcastle.

Developer World Wheel Company is seeking the greenlight for its proposed Giants on the Quayside development – a £100m scheme anchored by a 460 ft-high ferris wheel dubbed ‘The Whey Aye’.

Features of the development, which will span 344,445 sq ft and create up to 800 jobs, could include a family entertainment centre housing trampolines, climbing walls, a skywalk and café.

The ‘Giant Sport Deck’, a multi-purpose play and sports complex, will comprise covered five-a-side pitches, tennis courts and a state-of-the-art virtual golf facility called The Quayside Golf Club.

World Wheel Company’s plans also include a 7,500 sq ft LED digital screen on the facade of a visitor centre located at the base of The Whey Aye. The screen will communicate information about local culture and events, along with social media content and advertising.

New CGIs released today (December 17) show how the observation wheel would look at night and offer an early view inside the proposed five-storey Wheel Terminus building, which will contain around 86,000 sq ft of commercial space.

Subject to planning, the Wheel Terminus’ interior will feature a multi-storey vertical courtyard and a wall of escalators reaching high above the ground-floor admissions counter.

Phil Lynagh, CEO at World Wheel Company, said: “We are proposing a £100m regeneration and inward investment project that will create local jobs and ongoing revenue for the regional economy.

“After working on our plans for the Giants on the Quayside for nearly two years, we’re very pleased to be formally submitting our planning application for this world class development.”

He continued: “Newcastle City Council planners are currently checking that all the necessary documentation has been submitted and our application will then be uploaded to the planning portal on the council’s website, sometime early in the New Year.

“Once the application has been checked the council will carry out a formal consultation on the proposal. Any representations should be submitted to the council in writing via its planning public access website.”

If approved, The Whey Aye will stand 16 ft than the iconic London Eye, which is currently the tallest observation wheel in Europe.

World Wheel Company marketing director Nigel Hartley commented: “This development will truly set Newcastle apart as a destination for first-class leisure and entertainment.

“We have had an overwhelmingly positive response to our proposed plans so far and we look forward to a formal response to our application from Newcastle City Council.”