BOSSES at the Gateshead MetroCentre are not taking any chances on the success of a new £85m development.

As the finishing touches were put to the glass atrium in the centre's Red Mall yesterday, construction boss Davy Rowe, of Sir Robert McAlpine, attached an evergreen bough to the highest point of the building.

The topping-out ceremony, which goes back to pagan times, is to ward off evil forces, and asks tree spirits to bless the building.

The Mayor of Gateshead, Councillor David Lynn, and Donald Gordon, chairman of MetroCentre owners Liberty International, secured the final bolt to the glass roof of the mall's main building, which will house a Debenhams store.

The 371,000sq ft redevelopment and extension will open in October next year. The construction phase has created 1,500 jobs and a further 1,000 retail jobs will follow when the complex opens.

The Red Mall takes up space created by the relocation of the Asda supermarket to the nearby retail park. It will provide a three-level department store for Debenhams and 28 other stores.

An 1,100 space multi-storey car park will provide direct access both to Debenhams and the mall at the upper level.

In the Blue Mall, the bus station is being rebuilt to provide a public transport interchange. The railway interchange and road access from the A1 junction will also be upgraded.

There will be a shuttle bus serving MetroCentre, Ikea and the adjoining retail park, and improved facilities for cyclists, including a designated cycle path and locker and shower rooms.