Getting in and out by car

The layout

Ochre Yards sits on a plateau above the river, and every road in or out passes under the railway through the same arch on High Level Road, lettered “Gateshead Railway Quarter”, with 12 ft 3 in (3.7 m) of headroom. The streets around it are a one-way loop, so the way in and the way out are different.

In: from Askew Road into Wellington Street, under a railway bridge (15 ft 3 in), then at the old Railway Club corner left into Half Moon Lane (one-way), right into Hudson Street (one-way), then left into High Level Road, which is two-way, through the arch and up to Worsdell Drive.

Out: back along High Level Road through the arch, straight on along Wellington Street past the arches (one-way this stretch), and on down Wellington Street under the 15 ft 3 in bridge onto Askew Road, where you can only turn right. The other way out is Fletcher Road, one-way down to Hudson Street under a lower railway bridge, 11 ft 6 in (3.5 m), which brings you back to the same junction and out along Wellington Street.

Height is the thing to check before you book a van. Anything over 12 ft 3 in cannot reach the estate at all. Anything between 11 ft 6 in and 12 ft 3 in can come in but cannot use the Fletcher Road exit, so it has to leave back through the arch. Tell your removal firm or delivery company both heights.

In	Askew Road → Wellington Street (two-way; under the railway, 15 ft 3 in) → Half Moon Lane (one-way) → Hudson Street (one-way) → left into High Level Road (two-way, arch 12 ft 3 in / 3.7 m) → Worsdell Drive
Out	High Level Road (back through the arch) → Wellington Street past the arches (one-way) → Wellington Street under the railway (15 ft 3 in) → Askew Road, right turn only
Other way out	Fletcher Road → Hudson Street (one-way; 11 ft 6 in / 3.5 m) → Wellington Street → Askew Road
Not a route	Wellington Street past the arches, inwards (one-way the other way); Half Moon Lane north of the Railway Club corner, under a 14 ft 3 in bridge towards The Central (not a way out, see below); Hills Street, under a 16 ft bridge (one-way, for access); High Level Bridge (buses and taxis, southbound only)

The arch on High Level Road, looking out towards Wellington Street: every car in and out comes through here. Headroom 12 ft 3 in. September 2026.

On foot: the short cut through the arches

From Wellington Street, the open archway a few arches along from Microbus is a right of way through the viaduct (it doubles as a bin store). It comes out on Mirk Lane, a private permit-only car park (no public parking), where two flights of steps, one either side of the smaller of the two Curzon Place buildings, go down to Curzon Place. It is the quickest walk from Wellington Street to the Hilton entrance and Bottle Bank, but it is steps, not a ramp.

What residents asked for, and what the council said

The council’s Ochre Yards Options Appraisal considered eight resident proposals and rejected all of them:

Proposal	Council’s reason
Access to Trinity Square via Nelson Street / Prince Consort Road	Would become a rat run and complicate deliveries and parking; an alternative is being trialled
Exit via Half Moon Lane to the Tyne Bridge	Lane too narrow, would disrupt deliveries to homes and The Central, unsafe for cyclists and pedestrians, signal timings prevent easy exit
Access via Hills Street	Would almost certainly become a rat run; danger to cyclists and pedestrians
Improve the Charles Street junction	Road width and cost; signal timings adjusted instead
Improve the Regent Street junction	Same constraints; a short-term proposal is being developed
A route via West Street	Rat run, damage to the National Cycle Network, pedestrian crossing dangers
Use of the Askew Road bus lane	Bus priority and Tyne Bridge traffic flow take precedence
Reverse the Fletcher Road one-way	Residential traffic levels and bridge-strike risk

The one outcome was new signage making clear that Wellington Street is a no-through road. The council says it cannot add “Ochre Yards” to direction signs under the signing regulations.