New images reveal how Northumberland Street in Newcastle will look – but end of revamp works pushed into 2026

Visitors to the North East’s busiest high street have been forced to navigate disruptive construction works in recent months.

Newcastle City Council has promised an “elegant modernisation” of the street that will include the installation of 50ft lighting pillars, paving, street furniture, and plants.

It was initially hoped that the renovations would be complete by summer 2025, but the estimated completion date for the works has now been pushed back to early 2026.

The council said that it and contractors Taylor Woodrow had encountered a “major challenge” in carrying out upgrades to infrastructure in the depths beneath the high street for the first time in decades while keeping Northumberland Street open for shoppers and businesses.

Labour councillor Dan Greenhough admitted that the street has been left with “unsightly” tarmac patches that have frustrated visitors to the city centre, but pledged that the transformation would be worth the wait.

Coun Greenhough, the city council’s cabinet member for economy, jobs, and skills, said: “Northumberland Street is the beating heart of the centre of Newcastle, and it deserves the visuals, features and attractions that mirror its status.

“It was always going to be a major challenge to conduct the works beneath the surface, and given its history – way back as a medieval thoroughfare for pilgrims travelling to Holy Island, and more recently as a stretch of the A1 – we were bound to be entering the unknown to a degree with centuries of history lying beneath the thousands of people accessing the street each day.

“I’d like to thank residents and businesses for their patience, and we can now look forward to seeing and experiencing a Northumberland Street that is befitting of its importance to Newcastle and the wider city region.

“We’ve already seen widespread improvements to the iconic Grey Street, Saville Row and Ridley Place, and I’m incredibly excited to see the finished product on Northumberland Street as we continue to provide a city centre that our communities deserve.”

The redesign of the street has been inspired by Northumberland Street’s history as part of the ancient route to Lindisfarne, with a paving pattern paying homage to the Lindisfarne Gospels tapestry and the lighting columns intended to represent the poles which mark the way across to Holy Island.

New trees, rain gardens, and seats will also be installed – with the Haymarket end of the street due to be the first section to see those improvements, starting this May.

Coun Greenhough added: “This transformation will not only revitalise the look and feel of Northumberland Street, but it will also provide better quality furniture and access and provide a more welcoming and business-friendly environment for people to stroll, sit and spend their time.

“We appreciate the temporary tarmac patchworks have been unsightly, but these were only ever a stopgap on our journey to revitalising Northumberland Street into a high street ready to flourish, with a nod to its cultural legacy.”

A revamp of Northumberland Street had originally been announced in 2021, but was delayed as a wider overhaul of the city centre was reworked – with the council shelving a long-debated pedestrianisation of neighbouring Blackett Street.

The project is being funded using the majority of a £20m grant from the Government’s Levelling Up Fund, some of which is also being put towards renovations at the Grainger Market.