A stunning riverfront building in South Shields town centre has been earmarked for student accommodation.
One Harton Quay could be repurposed and brought back into use as a 125-bed student facility under plans to relocate South Tyneside College.
L-R Tony Lister, Managing Director, Castle; Dr Lindsey Whiterod CBE, Chief Executive of South Tyneside College; Cllr Tracey Dixon, Leader of South Tyneside Council, Cllr Margaret Meling, Lead Member Economic Growth and Transport.
The four-storey glass office building, which was previously BT’s business centre, could form one of the key sites which will facilitate the College and South Shields Marine School’s move from its current Westoe site into the town centre.
A planning application is expected to be submitted in the coming weeks.
The site of the now-demolished Central Library, which had previously been identified as the preferred location for student accommodation, would remain in council ownership as a development opportunity.
Councillor Tracey Dixon, Leader of South Tyneside Council, said:
One Harton Quay is a real landmark on the riverside and it would be fantastic to bring it back into use. Part of our regeneration ambition has focused on strengthening the connection between the town centre and the riverside. Generating footfall between the main campus and the student accommodation would do exactly that, complementing the investment that is going into the Mill Dam area. This building will also allow us to provide more accommodation units.
We and our partners are going to create a modern campus and accommodation. Our young people are going to be educated and trained in state-of-the-art facilities, gaining the skills they need to access jobs in leading industries such as the green economy.
In public consultation carried out with the ‘Our South Shields Conversation’, more than 80 per cent of people supported the idea of the college relocation, believing it would lead to a livelier town centre and help to sustain new and existing businesses.
Dr Lindsey Whiterod CBE, Chief Executive of South Tyneside College, said:
One Harton Quay is a fantastic building and would be the perfect riverside location for our South Shields Marine School students. It will encourage footfall between the riverside and town centre and in doing so support the Council's regeneration ambitions. This is another key milestone in our exciting plans.
Hebburn-based firm Castle was procured earlier this year to deliver the new town centre developments and is currently working under a pre-construction services agreement to prepare the site for the main scheme. Planning permission has already been granted for the 14,000sqm campus and refurbishment of a Grade-II listed building on Barrington Street, which will house staff facilities and offices.
The main building will be accessed on King Street, with a double-height glass atrium behind the reception entrance. A second entrance will be provided along Barrington Street, linking the building to the main campus.
Last month, the North East Combined Authority (NECA) agreed to contribute up to £18.2 million in funding for the college campus redevelopment. This is in addition to £20 million of government regeneration funding awarded to South Tyneside Council to revitalise South Shields town centre and riverside, and £21.9 million to Tyne Coast College from the Department for Education’s FE Capital Transformation Fund towards redevelopment of the college campus.
Work is anticipated to start on site later this year, with a view to the new college being ready to welcome students in the 2027 September intake.
