Iconic Get Carter car park is demolished
Demolition work has started on an iconic Gateshead car park that was featured in the 1971 film Get Carter.
The demolition and clearance work is expected to last 16 weeks and will give way to £150 million pound regeneration plans to develop a new town square, student village, parking facility and supermarket. Such a large urban renaissance scheme is expected to create hundreds of jobs in construction over the next few years, as well as the building jobs involved in the current de-construction work.
The concrete multi-storey car park was created by famed Brutalist architect Owen Luder, whose other credits include the now demolished Tricorn shopping centre in Portsmouth, as well as the Derwent Tower, a 29 storey residential block in Dunston, which could also face destruction.
Opening in 1969 at the end of the Brutalist movement, the 'Get Carter' car park quickly fell out of favour with local residents due to its imposing and raw nature.
Cllr Mick Henry, Leader of Gateshead Council, was cited in the BBC as describing the demolition of the iconic structure as a positive, saying: ''This car park is a significant part of Gateshead's history... We all recognise its architectural style, whether loved or hated, but we've long awaited the opportunity to redevelop the town centre to better suit the needs and expectations of people who live and work here.''
Nevertheless, the architect himself was not so optimistic and told ChronicleLive.co.uk: ''It's an iconic building of its period, but also from a practical point of view. The time and cost of nibbling it down to rebuild it with a Tesco and some shops doesn't seem to make any sense. What's planned is a low-key development which will not make as big an impact.''
Author: Sarah Howard
Keywords: jobs in construction