Newcastle City Council has backed plans for a £500m regeneration scheme at the site of the former Newcastle General Hospital, including research and academic facilities, alongside NHS and health services. The Council gave the plans the go-ahead on Friday 25 February, subject to conditions.
Newcastle University is behind the master plan to regenerate the 29-acre site, which houses the Campus for Ageing and Vitality (CAV). The CAV is being developed to establish the world’s premier centre for healthy ageing and living. Working in partnership, the Newcastle Hospitals and Newcastle University’s vision is for Newcastle’s West End to become nationally and internationally-renowned as a leader in ageing and health.
The University purchased the site from Newcastle Upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust in 2019 for £7.5m. The project will create 15 distinct development plots, including residential institutions, homes, business and commercial use, community and leisure facilities and small retail.
This development hopes to build on the success of the Newcastle Helix site, which is home to many life science and related biotech companies. The university is developing the site as a “world-leading example of intergenerational living, co-locating education, health and a range of residential developments.” The vision is to help people live longer and healthier lives through its “global leadership in ageing and research, providing innovative solutions for living, leisure, learning and employment from Newcastle for the world.”
The former hospital, originally located on the site, was built as an infirmary for the Newcastle Union Workhouse and opened in 1870. The hospital was fully operational until 2008, when most of the services were transferred to the Royal Victoria Infirmary and Freeman Hospital.
