Shields Ferry saved as cash committed to build new North Shields landing

The much-loved Shields Ferry has been saved after the cash was pledged to build a new landing in North Shields.

A total of £12.78 million was committed to the project by the North East Combined Authority's cabinet on Tuesday. It comes after years of warnings that the service was at risk due to the deteriorated state of the existing jetty in North Shields.

There have been fears that the landing could deteriorate into an unusable condition by 2025 and transport bosses have been trying to secure the money needed to build a £14.6 million replacement closer to the North Shields Fish Quay, but have suffered a number of setbacks and seen costs spiral. However, the agreement this week means the work will finally go ahead.

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Speaking at the meeting, cabinet member for transport and Gateshead Council leader Martin Gannon said: "We're commencing with work on the Shields Ferry.

"We have got significant resources for the first time and we will be utilising them. Our ambition is to create an inclusive, integrated transport network adapted to the economic requirements of the region and benefits the rest of us."

An initial investment of £4.58 million was approved by the cabinet, with the funding coming from the Transforming Cities Grant. This funding has been reallocated from the Metro Flow project, and will allow Nexus to get started on the project.

A further £8.2 million from the City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement will be allocated in the coming months to ensure that the scheme is fully funded. A written statement from mayor Kim McGuinness described the project as a "key component" of the region's transport programme.

It is hoped that construction work on the new landing will start in 2026, though the region’s full CRSTS proposals must yet be submitted to the Government before funding is released.

Nexus previously lost £5.6 million from the Government’s Getting Building Fund because it could not meet a “strict” timescale which would have required the construction works on the new ferry landing to be completed by spring 2022. The project was then included in a Levelling Up Fund bid from North Tyneside Council for a wider regeneration of North Shields, but the application was unsuccessful, while the price tag of the new jetty jumped from £8.8 million in 2020 to nearly £15 million today as inflation hit.