Timetable for demolition of Keel Row Shopping Centre in Blyth and site redevelopment outlined by council

A specific day for the Blyth centre’s closure has not yet been confirmed, but the final notices for tenants at the centre will be handed out this month.

The council’s cabinet will be asked to approve the spend of over £15m at a meeting next week on the project to clear the site and built the Energy Central Institute, a new energy industry-focused higher education facility that forms part of the Energising Blyth regeneration project.

Vacant buildings 3-5 and 7-9 Bridge Street have also been acquired by the council and will be demolished alongside the centre, pending cabinet approval and planning permission.

Demolition and pre-construction work at the site is expected to cost £750,000 and is included in the £15m figure.

The shopping centre was acquired by the council in July 2023 from Northumberland Estates. It is not yet clear which of the centre’s current tenants will remain in the town.

A county council spokesperson said: “The council have and continue to liaise with tenants to see if they can relocate in the town centre wherever possible should they wish to do so, and have provided each with details of the investments taking place as part of Energising Blyth that will increase footfall in the town and create greater demand for services.

“The council is unable to comment on the plans of private sector businesses.”

According to council documents, a design team is ready to be formally appointed for the Energy Central Institute, with an ambition to secure planning permission by November 2024.

Construction on the institute is currently forecast to begin in March 2025 following demolition of the existing buildings between May and September 2024.

According to the council’s timetable, the Energy Central Institute will be complete by August 2026 so that the building can open for the new academic year in September 2026.

Money for the project from the government’s Future High Streets Fund must be spent by September 2024, and cash from the Blyth Town Deal by March 2026 or it will have to be returned.