THREE consortia battling to win a £300m regeneration scheme in Newcastle have been named.

Preston-based Places for People Group and two consortia of housebuilders Wimpey, Bellway, Persimmon and Barratt, Haslam and Miller Homes were revealed last night as the final three vying to develop Walker Riverside.

In April, Newcastle City Council began a Europe-wide search for a development partner and got seven submissions. Four were eliminated, leaving three to fight it out in the next round.

Cabinet member for housing and regeneration, Councillor Ruth Robson, said: "The reputation of the applicants and the quality of the submissions was extremely high, which is a ringing endorsement of the great potential of Walker Riverside as a development area.

"Its riverside frontage just ten minutes from the city centre, makes it one of the best urban development sites in the country."

Thousands of homes, shops and a school are expected to be built during a ten-year partnership.