(07 Jan 2025, 7:21 pm)Storx wrote The thing needs demolished imo. There's just no demand for the place with Dalton Park doing the same thing slightly further South. 

It's doesn't help the large sewage plant is directly behind it so when the wind blows the wrong direction the place stinks either mind.

I think the main problem is that it's received little-to-no investment over the years. It's pretty much the same since it opened around the dawn of the millennium whereas Dalton Park has expanded to include regular shops in addition to its outlet offering. I don't think Dalton Park necessarily takes away the demand as, unless you live along the A19 corridor, it's not the easiest place to get to from the North of the Tyne, and, there's the added cost of using the Tyne Tunnel even if you do live close to the A19.   

Sewage and the stench of the Tyne aside (both of which I've never really noticed, tbh - must have always been there on a 'good' day), I think the Royal Quays potentially has more going for it than Dalton Park. As mentioned, it's got the ferry terminal close by with international visitors arriving and departing daily, and it's also got the space to expand if the empty brownfield site next door was acquired. Whilst current and historic transport links have never been great, there's room from improvement, and it's only a short walk from Percy Main Metro (a walk I've done many times by walking down the cut that takes past the football and cricket grounds - 10 mins approx). 

Personally, I would say the difference between Dalton Park and Royal Quays is in the way they've been managed since their conception. DP has expanded whilst RQ has almost contracted.