Gormley-linked fire station plans on hold

3 December 2025

Daniel HollandLocal Democracy Reporting Service

A row has broken out over the future of the disused fire station in Hexham, Northumberland

Google Hexham's former fire station. It is a two-storey brick building with an appendage to the right, with three large doors, for fire engines to enter and leave through. There is a car park to the front of it. — A row has broken out over the future of the disused fire station in Hexham, Northumberland

Plans to demolish a former fire station remain on hold amid a row over whether it should be sold to Angel of the North creator Sir Antony Gormley.

The artist submitted plans to turn Hexham's disused station on Tyne Mills Industrial Estate into a studio to store his work and potentially exhibit it in the future.

Northumberland County Council decided in November to demolish it to make way for an expanded council depot.

That decision, which sparked public outcry from locals keen to see the space taken over by the acclaimed sculptor, will now be paused ahead of a full council debate in January.

More than 3,000 people signed a petition calling on the Conservative-led council to sell.

Hundreds of Hexham residents have also staged a protest in support of the artist's plans, gathering at Sele Hill to form a human Angel of the North in homage to his most famous work, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

Following the cabinet's decision not to sell the site to Sir Antony, the matter was "called in" by opposition councillors for a scrutiny meeting.

Sir Antony Gormley created the Angel of the North in Gateshead and is a well-known artist across the region

PA Media People walking in the snow at the foot of Antony Gormley's Angel of the North sculpture in Gateshead. The tall sculpture, which resembles a man with rectangular wings, is dusted with snow. — Sir Antony Gormley created the Angel of the North in Gateshead and is a well-known artist across the region

Hexham mayor Derek Kennedy, who leads the council's independent group, suggested a Gormley attraction could be worth £3m per year and a "split site" to accommodate both Sir Antony's plans and the council's needs should be explored.

Liberal Democrat Suzanne Holly Fairless-Aitken accused the local authority of "glaring failures as well as misinformation", while Labour's Scott Dickinson said the decision had come about in "a way that seems deceitful".

Nick Oliver, cabinet's member for finance, said suggestions that local councillors were shocked by the demolition proposals were "completely unfathomable".

He said the fire station had never been for sale, adding the council had previously rejected approaches to turn it into a cycling hub or a climbing centre.

Oliver said there was a need to expand the depot facility and provide extra space for vehicle maintenance and MOT testing.

"There was no secret plot to try and hide it [the cabinet decision] from the public or Hexham Town Council or anyone else," he said.

"We were just trying to get the information out there as openly and quickly as possible."

Hundreds of gathered at Sele Hill in November to form a human Angel of the North in homage to the artist's most famous work

A human chain in the shape of the Angel of the North on grassland. Picture taken above by a drone. — Hundreds of gathered at Sele Hill in November to form a human Angel of the North in homage to the artist's most famous work

Deputy council leader Richard Wearmouth added that Sir Antony and his foundation had "always been completely honest and open" about their proposals, which the committee heard were chiefly based on storage space but could also feature public exhibitions, but the issue had become "twisted" by others.

Wearmouth said the council wanted to continue working with the sculptor, who already has a studio and foundry in Hexham, and hoped to find him an alternative site closer to the town centre.

After a proposal from Conservative John Beynon to allow the decision to proceed was voted down, a majority of scrutiny committee members instead backed a move to refer it to full council.

It is set to be debated, before demolition works can proceed, at a full council meeting on 14 January.