Northumberland County Council

Market place

Funding has now been secured through the Future High Street Fund for the reconfigured Market Place with Creative Culture Space. This will be a vibrant place for people of all ages to meet, mix and engage in cultural activities, creating an attractor in the town centre, delivered by 2024.

Creating this focal point of culture and leisure activities will bring more people into Blyth Town Centre, increasing footfall, encouraging people to spend time and money in the area, and delivering a much-needed buzz and vitality in the heart of the town.

Detailed development and consultation on this scheme will continue during 2021.

The Town Centre will be transformed by the new Creative Culture Space at the Market Place which will be a catalyst for economic growth in the town centre. It will be a landmark centre providing a cultural, arts and leisure experience and attraction in a welcoming, healthy, safe and sustainable high street environment. It will be a creative space for local people and visitors to experience and participate in music, film and the arts with facilities for play, a café, classes and a cycle hub promoting active travel.

This community space draws on the history of Blyth, its strong creative and cultural identity and the need to provide a public ‘anchor’ attraction. The building will be an iconic design and will shrink the large featureless Market Place to more user-friendly proportions.

The Creative Culture Space will combine a commercial ticketed offer of high-quality cultural entertainment with a stimulating arts, heritage and cultural programme. It will deliver significant social, educational, health and wellbeing benefits for local residents.

The centre will complement the existing cultural offer in the town and work together with other arts organisations in Blyth.

The programme delivered from the facility will be developed in the context of the rich theatrical and cinematic heritage of the town. This provides an opportunity to tell the stories of Blyth and its community, utilising the arts in writing, designing and performing for film and theatre.

In pictures

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The reconfigured Market Place will provide animation, landscaping, play facilities and flexible spaces for a variety of uses including the local and seasonal markets, temporary displays, outdoor performance space and ‘pocket’ parks.

It will be inspired and informed by the emerging Blyth Cultural Strategy to ensure that Blyth has a coherent town centre rich in cultural heritage and design.

Detailed development and consultation on this scheme will continue during 2021.

In pictures

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The bus route will bring people into the heart of Blyth, serve the requirements of the bus operator and provide new stops and shelters

It will be operated by a one-way/bus only system with speed restrictions and pedestrian crossing points. It will benefit from a full health and safety and access audit.