Construction Work On Key Town Centre Location Set To Get Under Way Later This Year.
Work on Blyth's state of the art Energy Central Institute is set to begin later in the year.
Northumberland County Council have given the green light to the 11 million pound facility which will focus on renewable energy research and development.
The building will occupy the site of the former Keel Row shopping centre which closed in early 2025 and was recently demolished.
A CGI generated image of the ECI.
Speaking at a meeting of
of the council's strategic planning committee, the applicant's agent Helen Marks of DPP planning said: "This will be a transformative step forward in revitalising Blyth town centre, and a significant investment in the centre of the town facing the new market pavilion.
"It forms part of the ongoing regeneration of the town. The institute will serve as a catalyst for economic regeneration, creating new jobs and attracting skilled professionals, generating further opportunities for local businesses and boosting employment.
"It will provide high level skills and technological innovations, and an end-to-end platform to equip young people and adults with the skills needed to take up careers in the existing clean energy sector."
The development is the second phase of the Energy Centre project and will serve as a step on from the recently completed Energy Central Hub which was built on Quay Road. A number of high profile partners, including both Newcastle and Durham universities will work along side the ECI to provide state of the art training.
The plans were passed unanimously by the council.
Reception of the plans on social media from local residents has been mixed, with a lot of comments condemning the plans because of the non retail nature of such a large town centre development.
"Blyth needs retail. We need shops. Unless you want a haircut, we've got nothing to offer."
"The town is dying we don’t need this we need to draw people into the town centre with shops good ones clothes, shoes etc like it used to be!!! It’s a joke now and people have to travel out of Blyth to shop"
Other users were more supportive of the plans with one Facebook user adding..
"All of these negative comments. Why can't people see the idea here? Cinema / entertainment space to increase footfall into the town. More people coming into the town, more money being spent in shops and restaurants. Higher education building in the town - more students with disposable income coming into the town. They need places to eat, might need to buy something when they are here... Again more money flowing into the town. From that, more businesses will be attracted into the town. Why would you open a shop here at the moment with limited footfall and limited disposable income?! This is just basic economics. And precedents where it has worked elsewhere. Regeneration is absolutely necessary".
