Latest Stephenson Quarter plans revealed

Plans for the latest phase of works at Newcastle’s £200m Stephenson Quarter development, which include establishing a university technical college (UTC) in a historic building and erecting a six-storey office development, have been submitted. The proposals could create almost 450 jobs.The overall mixed-use scheme was given the green light in 2009 and upon completion will comprise two hotels, 430,500 sq ft of office space, the relocated Royal Mail depot, 155 flats, an art gallery, retail outlets, restaurants and a multi-storey car park.Phase one of the scheme – which included the four-star Crowne Plaza Hotel, the Stephenson Quarter Car Park and the 35,000 sq ft Rocket building – has already completed, as has the refurbishment of the Boiler Shop.Now, plans seen by Insider for the latest aspect of the masterplan have been submitted.The proposals comprise two projects – renovating the former Hawthorn Engineering Works (HEW) to create a UTC and building a six-storey scheme called The Phoenix.The grade II-listed former HEW was originally built in 1844. The plans include constructing a new four-and-a-half-storey teaching block immediately adjacent to the retained and refurbished Western bay of the building.The refurbished facility would include a café/reception area and flexible space for use by up to 300 students at a time.A UTC is a school for 14-19 year-olds and is designed to prepare students for work or higher education in areas of high level skill demand for the regional economy.The £24.5m Stephenson Quarter UTC would specialise in the IT and Healthcare Science sectors, with sponsors of the project including Accenture, Hewlett-Packard, Sage, Ubisoft, RTCNorth, the Academic Health Science Network, Health Education North East, the regional NHS Trusts, the North East LEP and the University of Sunderland.The Phoenix building would accommodate multi-occupancy offices and be six-storeys in height. It would also comprise three retail units.A planning statement submitted alongside the application stated that about 175 jobs could be supported during the construction phase. A further 445 roles could also be created upon completion.It is proposed that the two buildings will open in the summer of 2018, subject to planning permission.