Capital&Centric to showcase plans to revitalise Newcastle-under-Lyme town centre

Social impact developers Capital&Centric are set to showcase plans to revitalise Newcastle-under-Lyme town centre at an upcoming event.

They’ve today launched consultation on the proposals, encouraging people to head down to the Castletown Distillery on Friday 3 May 2024 from 3pm. There, locals can grab a slice of pizza, meet the team and find out more about what’s in store for the town centre’s next chapter.

Working with the borough council, Capital&Centric are planning an overhaul of three prominent town centre locations, bringing forward plans for Midway car park, York Place shopping centre, and two plots at Ryecroft. The distinct but complementary neighbourhoods are planned to feature a mix of new homes; shops, cafes and bars; character-packed workspaces; a hotel and extensive new green outdoor hangout spots.

As part of the joined-up plan, Capital&Centric are working with Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council to breathe new life into the town through a mix of restored buildings alongside design-led new builds. Repurposing existing buildings and giving them a contemporary re-working is increasingly becoming the go-to approach to more sustainable regeneration, helping save a shed load of embodied carbon when compared to building from scratch.

A five week consultation has been launched to seek views on the proposals, with the team encouraging people to get involved in person or online. With early technical work now done, designs are now being worked up, with planning applications expected to be submitted to the council this summer.

What’s in store for Newcastle-under-Lyme town centre

Plans for the three locations include:

• Midway car park (The Midway)
  The social impact developers aim to repurpose the tired Midway car park into new homes, kitted out with contemporary amenities and lush green spaces. A stunning three-floor atrium and on-site parking for residents also features.
• York Place shopping centre (High Street)
  Capital&Centric want to reboot the, now empty, centre into a vibrant new heart of the town centre and reimagine its main concrete structure. A new music venue and a spacious green public square is proposed, as well as ground level spaces for shops, bars, and cafes, with around 50 apartments located above.
• Ryecroft (two sites at Ryecroft)
  Plans for the disused Ryecroft will be split into two parts, including a design-led mixed-use neighbourhood with new apartments, suburban family homes and workspaces. The team have also drawn up plans for a 110-room hotel and new shared community parkland, perfect for pop-up events.

Well known for their creative approach to placemaking, Capital&Centric have a track record of delivering standout developments across the UK. They’re currently well into delivery of Goods Yard, a new neighbourhood next to the mainline station in Stoke-on-Trent, set to open next year.

Martin Crews, development director at Capital&Centric, said:

“We’re taking a joined-up approach to revitalising Newcastle-under-Lyme and want local people to get involved. We’re striking a careful balance between retaining the charm and local character of the town centre today, whilst writing an exciting new chapter for the future. Retaining and repurposing much of the existing structures at both Midway and York Place allows us to not only deliver unique designs that the town can be proud of, but we can also save stacks of embodied carbon when compared to starting from scratch.

“In a world of changing shopping habits, there’s a real need to reinvent town centres so they retain their place as the heart of communities. Each of the planned neighbourhoods would have a distinct but complementary design, with the broad mix of uses – from homes to shops and outdoor spaces – creating a welcoming town centre where people want to meet and spend time.”

Simon Tagg, Leader of Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council, said:

“Capital&Centric has a national reputation for turning unloved buildings and derelict land into homes, workspaces, hotels, shops, bars and restaurants – often using eye-catching architecture with the latest green energy ideas.

“Once the redevelopments of Ryecroft, York Place and Midway are complete, Newcastle’s town centre will be transformed so it’s important that residents get involved in the process now at its formative stages.”

How people can have their say

The consultation for the project is now live and runs until Monday 20 May 2024. People can get in touch by:

• Attending the consultation event on Friday 3 May 2024 3pm-8pm at Castletown Distillery
• Fill in the online questionnaire: capitalandcentric.com/newcastle-under-lyme
• Head to capitalandcentric.com/newcastle-under-lyme – where you can find more information and contact the team directly.