Golf plan approved for ex-Newcastle Brown Ale site
PA MediaThe former home of Newcastle Brown Ale production is to be transformed into a £40m multi-storey golf and entertainment complex after plans were unanimously approved.
The old Federation Brewery site in Gateshead will be turned into a three-storey leisure facility with 102 hitting bays alongside event spaces, a bar and restaurant, rooftop terrace and lounge areas.
Developer Topgolf UK says the development near the Metrocentre will create 300 construction jobs and up to 400 roles once the attraction is open.
Visitor numbers are projected to be 450,000 per year with Topgolf also predicting the scheme will bring in up to £250m over a 10-year period.
Councillor Kathryn Walker told a meeting of Gateshead Council's planning and development committee she believed it was a " really exciting opportunity" for the area and that concerns over traffic and potential surface flooding were sufficiently dealt with within the authority's own planning report.
The council's assessment stated that while the scheme did not adhere to a draft area plan on account of reducing future home developments and open space, the economic and regeneration benefits outweighed those concerns.
It found the site's location "makes it uniquely suited to a large-scale leisure use, without direct conflict with existing residential areas".
Since the Local Democracy Reporting Service initially reported on the scheme last week, the proposal received an additional letter of support describing it as "a fantastic idea and something the area is in desperate need of".
Newcastle Brown Ale was produced at the site from 2005 after being moved from Newcastle.
However, it switched to the Yorkshire town of Tadcaster five years later when Heineken closed the brewery.
It was demolished in 2013.
Plans to create a leisure venue were announced in 2022 after the Metrocentre Partnership bought the land.