Hundreds of jobs to be brought to Gateshead as £13m quayside development completes

Work has been completed on a £13m development which will bring hundreds of jobs to the North East.

Riga, a workspace designed by Ryder Architecture and constructed by Willmott Dixon, 3E engineering and Desco, is part of the Baltic Quarter site located next to the Gateshead Quays.

It will be the first Grade-A office building delivered to the area for around 10 years bringing with it 600 jobs.

The project was fully funded by Gateshead Council, and was designed to support the growth of companies in the region.

Councillor Martin Gannon, leader of Gateshead Council, commented: “We agreed to build this office block speculatively because we know what a great location this is for growing businesses and it has paid off.

“The building is another step toward achieving the vision for the broader Gateshead Quays with a vibrant mixed-use community with arts and culture at its heart in a real living, working environment.

“In challenging times, to say that this building is 100 per cent let before the doors have even opened signifies confidence in Gateshead and Riga will play a crucial role in our recovery.

“It has already created a number of jobs across the whole supply chain, including over 450 construction jobs on site for the last 18 months.

Anthony Dillon, managing director for Willmott Dixon in the North, said: “We’re very proud to play our part in delivering such as important project, which will support and enable growing businesses to thrive, and create vital employment opportunities, right here in Gateshead.

“This is our 11th project in partnership with Gateshead Council and it has again given us the opportunity to support the local pound; during the building process we invested more than £7.4m with businesses in the area.

“It is thanks to the strength of the relationships and collaboration between our team, the council and all our local design and supply chain partners that we have overcome the unprecedented challenges of the last few months, completed the project, and, most importantly, kept everyone safe on site.”