Newsteer has supported Topgolf’s UK expansion since 2020, providing strategic planning and development management advice. At Gateshead, the team led the planning process for a £40 million facility on the former Newcastle Brown Ale factory site beside the Metrocentre.
The client’s challenge
Topgolf needed property and planning support for growth alongside a more strategic approach to business rates on large, specialist leisure facilities.
In Gateshead, the 6,000 sq m, three storey format required a substantial outfield, 54-metre netting and 400 parking spaces on a site central to the emerging Metrogreen Area Action Plan. The project needed to reconcile these operational requirements with active frontages, open space, permeability, transport policy and an open mosaic habitat supporting the rare Dingy Skipper butterfly.
Our solution
Newsteer provides agency, development management, planning and business rates advice, including rating appeals, budgeting and engagement around future revaluations.
In Gatesead, Newsteer led strategic planning from design development through submission and determination, coordinating the multidisciplinary team and engagement with Gateshead Council, Newcastle Council, National Highways, the Metrocentre’s owners and other stakeholders. The team also made representations during preparation of the Area Action Plan and worked through biodiversity net gain compensation, active travel and parking requirements.
Beyond advice: how we added value
As an extension of Topgolf’s development team, Newsteer combined knowledge of the operator’s format with the wider regeneration ambitions for Metrogreen. Early engagement with senior officers and stakeholders helped establish trust, identify planning risks before formal pre application discussions and position the facility as a catalyst for the area.
Outcomes and impact
Planning permission for Topgolf Gateshead was secured in July 2026 following agreement of section 106 heads of terms covering biodiversity net gain compensation and active travel commitments. The development is expected to create 350-400 on site jobs, generate a direct fiscal impact of £20-30 million and support £150–250 million of local economic expenditure over ten years once operational.
