Sir John Hall has defended the MetroCentre.

John Norquist, the former mayor of Milwaukee, is an adviser on city living.

On a recent visit to the north-east of England, he said the shopping complex was a thing of the past.

However, Sir John Hall, the creator of the MetroCentre, says the development is still ideal for the region.

He said: "I'm proud of it and so are most people in the North East.

'Theme of the day'

"It still attracts record levels of shoppers and doesn't impact on Newcastle city centre, where there is a record level of commercial investment.

"Mr Norquist may just be talking about the theme of the day, as these American gurus do."

The controversial American is an advocate of 'lifestyle centres', which are smaller shopping areas clustered around a city.

He said: "Shoppers want to do what they call destination shopping. They want to go to a place that seems real and the malls don't quite seem that way.

"I predict that the MetroCentre will run its course in five or ten years' time.

'Fits a social need'

"They will tear it down and put in housing, retail and create a lifestyle centre."

But Sir John thinks the MetroCentre is more than just a shopping centre.

He said: "It fills a social need too. When I built it, I made certain that the streets were level, there were lots of seats and full access for disabled people.

"It's under cover too, so you're sheltered from the weather, which is ideal for the region."