Silverlink Shopping Park
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Infobox shopping mall
| name = Silverlink Shopping Park
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| image = Silverlink Retail Park East - geograph.org.uk - 1240534.jpg
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| caption = Silverlink Shopping Park as it appeared in 2009
| location = Wallsend, Tyne and Wear
| coordinates = {{Coord|55.0120|-1.4949|display=inline, title}}
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| opening_date = c. early 1990s
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| previous_names = Silverlink Retail Park
| developer = Crown Estate
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| number_of_anchors = 2 (M&S, Next)
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| website = {{URL|https://www.silverlinkshoppingpark.co.uk/}}
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The Silverlink Shopping Park is a retail park in North Tyneside, England containing more than 20 stores with retail accommodation of {{convert|208000|sqft}}. It was developed by the Crown Estate, has 927 car parking spaces, and has an annual footfall of 7.2 million.{{cite web |title=Regional Retail Brochure |url=https://www.thecrownestate.co.uk/media/3732/regional-retail-brochure.pdf |website=Crown Estate |access-date=20 June 2021}}
History
It was initially known as Tyneside Retail Park{{cite news |title=Currys New Superstore, Tyneside Retail Park, Coast Road |work=Newcastle Evening Chronicle |date=20 December 1990}} before becoming Silverlink Retail Park in the mid-1990s, taking the same name as the neighbouring Silverlink Industrial Estate.{{cite news |title=Big new supermarket plan looks set to fail |work=Newcastle Journal |date=10 March 1992}} The Silverlink name is derived from the Silver Link locomotive that was once housed at the nearby North Tyneside Steam Railway museum.{{cite news |title=Silverlink is attracting more new companies |work=Newcastle Journal |date=5 February 1992 |quote=The park derives its name from a locomotive in the nearby North Shields Railway Museum}}{{cite news |title=Silverlink Park attracts insurance and design pair |work=Newcastle Journal |date=4 September 1991}}{{Efn|Although this was actually the preserved Bittern of the same class in the Silver Link livery as Silver Link had been scrapped in the 1960s}}
The 9-screen multiplex Odeon cinema on the site opened in 1999, was upgraded in 2015,{{cite news |last1=Jeffery |first1=Sarah |title=Odeon Silverlink is celebrating 16th birthday by offering discounted tickets for one day only |url=https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/whats-on/film-tv/odeon-silverlink-celebrating-16th-birthday-10220171 |access-date=20 June 2021 |work=The Evening Chronicle |date=8 October 2015 |language=en}} and has an IMAX screen and uses RealD 3D technology.{{cite web |title=Silverlink |url=https://www.odeon.co.uk/cinemas/silverlink/ |website=Odeon Cinemas |access-date=20 June 2021}}
A £30 million extension was added to the shopping park in the late 2010s adding 4 additional retailers.{{cite news |last1=Ford |first1=Coreena |title=300 new jobs to be created by retailers at £30m Silverlink shopping park extension |url=https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/business/business-news/300-new-jobs-created-retailers-11621507 |access-date=20 June 2021 |work=ChronicleLive |date=15 July 2016 |language=en}} That extension location had previously been a Travelodge hotel (formerly known as Europa Lodge and Moat House Hotel),{{cite news |last1=Sharma |first1=Sonia |title=Former Travelodge near Silverlink Shopping Park demolished to make way for new retail space |url=https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/former-travelodge-near-silverlink-shopping-10044321 |access-date=20 June 2021 |work=ChronicleLive |date=14 September 2015 |language=en}} who relocated to Cobalt Park.{{cite news |last1=Sharma |first1=Sonia |title=Work starts on new £3.6m Travelodge hotel at business park |url=https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/work-starts-new-36m-travelodge-20235796 |access-date=20 June 2021 |work=ChronicleLive |date=12 April 2021 |language=en}}
Retailers
Retailers on the park include Bensons for Beds, Boots, Currys, Halfords, Hobbycraft, H&M, JD Sports, Marks & Spencer, New Look, Next Home & Garden, OneBelow, River Island, ScS, Sports Direct, Sofology and Wren Kitchens. Most recently, EE working alongside BT have opened a store at the centre of the main parking area.{{cite web |title=Stores |url=https://www.silverlinkshoppingpark.co.uk/stores/ |website=Silverlink Shopping Park |access-date=19 March 2022}} There is a cinema operated by Odeon to the north of the park. Restaurants currently on the park include Costa Coffee, McDonald's, Nando's, Five Guys and Pizza Hut.
Previous tenants have also included Comet, Wilko, Northern Electric,{{cite news |work=Newcastle Evening Chronicle |title=Northern Electric Superstore |date=26 May 1994}} Outfit and Poundworld.{{cite news |title=New discount store One Below opens at former Poundworld site at Silverlink Shopping Park |url=https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/whats-on/shopping/one-below-shop-silverlink-jobs-16627816 |access-date=20 June 2021 |work=The Evening Chronicle |date=24 July 2019}}
Location
The adjacent roundabout linking the A19 and A1058 roads was upgraded using a triple-decker construction in the late 2010s at a cost of £75 million.{{cite news |title=Silverlink roundabout to become 'triple decker' |url=https://www.itv.com/news/tyne-tees/2016-06-29/75m-triple-decker-roundabout-coming-to-north-tyneside |access-date=20 June 2021 |work=ITV News |date=29 June 2016 |language=en}} The retail park is located to the south of Cobalt Business Park and North Tyneside Steam Railway. Buses run regularly from Newcastle upon Tyne and the surrounding areas. The shopping park is located between the two east–west lines of Tyne and Wear Metro's Yellow Line coastal loop and as such the park has been a candidate location for extending the rail line to serve.{{cite news |last1=Meechan |first1=Simon |title=Plans for Metro upgrade revealed – and it could be expanding |url=https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/plans-major-metro-upgrade-revealed-11613893 |access-date=20 June 2021 |work=ChronicleLive |date=14 July 2016 |language=en}}
Footnotes
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References
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External links
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- {{official website|https://www.silverlinkshoppingpark.co.uk/}}