Network Rail's Gateshead maintenance centre plan agreed
Plans to build a new rail maintenance centre on Tyneside have been given the thumbs up.
Gateshead Council has granted Network Rail planning permission for a £5m development on derelict land beside Askew Road.
The deal also includes a new hotel, offices and a restaurant on the site, and will create about 150 jobs during construction.
Work is due to begin in December and will take a year to complete.
Paul Rutter, from Network Rail, said: "This new centre will allow us to bring teams together, creating opportunities to work more efficiently.
"This scheme will help regenerate a neglected area of Gateshead and create jobs for the local economy as well as delivering a fantastic new mixed-use development for the local area."