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The Metro Centre, Gateshead

Client: Capital Shopping Centres

Capital Budget: £300K

The Metro Centre Commercial Development

The expansion of the Metro Centre to restore its status as Europe’s largest shopping centre has presented an opportunity to review its landscape setting, now some 18 years old. Responding to the architecture of the red quadrant extension RLD has introduced a unique and strong landscape style using mainly evergreen material. New planting provides expansive sweeps of clipped ‘hedges’, avenues and linear sequences of seasonal herbaceous stock. The species palette is limited and this simplicity reinforces the clean lines and geometry of the design. It also enables the site to be easily maintained, particularly advantageous given the Centre’s opening hours and year-round popularity.

Working for Capital Shopping Centres RLD was responsible for design development to support a detailed planning application. After planning consent was obtained the practice provided consultancy services to the main contractor Sir Robert McAlpine including:

-planting and construction details

-provision of tender information and appraisal of returned rates

-site inspections

-cost reviews

The value of the landscape subcontract is currently estimated at £300K.
Landscape implementation commenced October 2003 and is due for completion September 2004.
The work was carried out from our Newcastle office, with contract meetings held on site.
All work to date is to the satisfaction of Capital Shopping Centres, Sir Robert McAlpines and Gateshead MBC.

The Metro Centre

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