(31 May 2015, 8:25 pm)Andreos1 wrote I enjoyed the festival itself.
Went many times and always found something different.
Like you, I was disappointed the land itself wasn't looked after or turned into a permanent attraction.
Housing has been built - all be it quite a while after the initial phase at the top end of the valley (Norwood?), but when private finance was relied on in times of recession - it wasn't going to be an overnight sensation.
I often look in when passing some of the derelict areas of the site. The staithes' falling into disrepair and being left for so long, was disappointing too.
I didn't actually realise how much private money went into the scheme (until reading that Chronicle article).
In principle, a brilliant idea.
In reality, the outcome was slightly different.
The chronicle article also mentions the Caterpillar Monorail and the narrow gauge railway. Presumably neither would have been cheap to construct. You might have thought Gateshead Council (and other stakeholders) would have been keen to capitalise on these two attractions and make a little bit of money from them after the close of the festival. While I'm not a big fan of narrow gauge railways, they do seem to attract tourists. As far as I'm aware, aside from a path, nothing has been built on the course of the line. I can't help to think the council missed a trick there.