Northumberland Square is now open!
Our redevelopment of Northumberland Square and Howard Street is now complete.
This first phase of ambitious restoration work to North Shields town, has seen the redevelopment of the historic Northumberland Square, Howard Street and surrounding area.
Sympathetic to its heritage and roots, the works have taken the square back to its original Georgian layout of footpaths and a perimeter of trees, enhancing the biodiversity of the park by introducing thousands of new plants.
The project, which was supported and co-founded by Historic England, creates a new Cultural Quarter for North Shields, incorporating Northumberland Square, Howard Street and surrounding area to support sustainable economic and cultural growth to restore and enhance local historic character.
The scheme was developed in partnership with Capita.
Traditional sandstone paving and cobbled-style paths have been installed throughout the square, with new contemporary lighting and up-lighting to trees. The addition of new plants and shrubs, as well as a native beech hedgerow will help diversify habitats and enhance ecology, creating a biodiversity net-gain to the conservation area.
Howard Street offers a shared highway surface for occasional vehicle use, creating a new pedestrian and cyclist-friendly cultural scene, giving a nod to the original historic footway geometry. An avenue of trees and seating has been installed leading up to the Square from the Fish Quay, as part of our tree planting programme which contributes to the borough’s net-zero 2030 ambitions.
The thoroughfare between Northumberland Square and North Shields retail centre has undergone reinstatement of period curtilage detail, including a bleed of natural materials appropriate to the conservation area and allowing for a good pedestrian link from Bedford Street to the square.
In March 2023 works to Northumberland Square and adjacent Howard Street were highly commended in the Medium Project category for the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) North East Robert Stephenson Awards.
Contact us
If you have any questions about our plans for North Shields, or the ongoing regeneration works, you can contact us by:
Email: AmbitionNS@northtyneside.gov.uk
Tel: (0191) 643 4830