Golf plan for former Newcastle Brown Ale site
PA MediaThe former home of Newcastle Brown Ale production could be transformed into a £40m multi-storey golf and entertainment complex.
Plans have been lodged to convert the former Federation Brewery site in Gateshead into a three-storey leisure facility with 102 hitting bays alongside event spaces, a bar and restaurant, rooftop terrace and lounge areas.
Topgolf UK said the development near the Metrocentre would create 300 construction jobs and up to 400 roles once the leisure attraction is up and running.
Gateshead Council's planning and development committee will meet on Wednesday to decide on the application.
Early financial predictions claim the Lancaster Road project would also bring in £150m to £250m over a 10-year period.
It is estimated the entertainment complex would attract up to 450,000 visitors per year, with plans for 400 parking spaces, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.
The council's assessment states that while the scheme does not adhere to a draft area plan on account of reducing future home developments and open space, the economic and regeneration benefits outweigh those concerns.
The report concludes: "The site's location - immediately adjacent to Metrocentre and bounded by major highways - makes it uniquely suited to a large-scale leisure use, without direct conflict with existing residential areas.
"While the proposal limits some elements of the AAP's [Area Action Plan] vision, it also accelerates delivery, raises the area's profile and introduces anchor activity to support further investment."
Newcastle Brown Ale was produced on the site from 2005 until 2010 when Heineken closed Dunston Brewery and moved its operations to Yorkshire.
The facility was demolished in 2013.
Plans to create a leisure venue on the site were announced in 2022 after the Metrocentre Partnership bought the land.
The deal came about three years after the former owner, Intu, announced it was looking at redeveloping the location.
Intu collapsed into administration in 2020, a move reported at the time as one of the most significant corporate causalities of the Covid-19 crisis.