North Shields Square highly commended at prestigious engineering awards

The first phase of ambitious restoration works to North Shields town centre were celebrated last night after being highly commended at a prestigious engineering awards ceremony.
The public realm works to Northumberland Square and Howard Street were highly commended in the Medium Project category for the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) North East Robert Stephenson Awards.

The project, which is part of North Tyneside Council’s regeneration masterplan for North Shields and the Fish Quay, was complete in September 2022.
Sympathetic to its heritage and roots, works began in September 2021 to take 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 the surrounding area to support sustainable economic and cultural growth to restore and enhance local historic character.

Since reopening, the area has hosted exciting events such as the multicultural North Tyneside Together celebration and the North Shields Christmas Markets.

Cllr Carl Johnson, Deputy Mayor of North Tyneside and cabinet member for Regeneration and Economic Development, said: “It’s fantastic to see the hard work of our colleagues and partners recognised by such a prestigious engineering institute.

“The reshaping of Northumberland Square and Howard Street creates a welcoming modern feel and tranquil, pleasant and more flexible space in this historic part of the town for events and leisure activities that everyone can enjoy, adding to the appeal of the town centre and complementing the other North Shields regeneration projects that are now well underway.”
The scheme was developed in partnership with Capita.

Derek Mitchell, Capita Senior Project Manager, said: “We are delighted to have received high commendation in the medium projects category.

“This is a great example of partnership working between Capita and North Tyneside Council, and we are pleased to have successfully delivered the first phase of the Council’s vision for North Shields.

“Not only is it recognition of all the project delivery team’s hard work but it also shines a light on this excellent addition to the town centre.”

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.

The 2023 ICE North East Robert Stephenson Awards took place on 23 March.

You can find out more information on the ICE and the awards at www.ice.org.uk