Work has got underway on a three-month project to create new visitor facilities at the Angel of the North in Gateshead, north east England.

Gateshead Council agreed to proposals in early 2008, which included the creation of new parking and toilet facilities at the visitor attraction, along with new footpaths. It is expected that work will be completed by April, and will see the new facilities located well back from the A167 Durham Road. Trees will also be planted as part of careful landscape design in order to screen the facilities from the Angel site.

Linda Green, the council's cabinet spokesperson for culture, said: "These new visitor facilities will help make a visit to the Angel of the North an even better experience. "We have been concerned for some time about the potential danger posed by parking on the side of what is sometimes a very busy road. Our creation of these new facilities will remove those concerns and make the whole experience of visiting the Angel so much more pleasurable."