The biggest office development in Newcastle city centre’s history has been given the all clear, after the Government brushed aside heritage groups’ fears.
The huge Pilgrim’s Quarter complex, which will house thousands of HMRC workers once it opens in 2027, has received a major boost with confirmation that it will not be called in by Michael Gove. Members of Newcastle City Council’s planning committee approved the £155m Reuben Brothers development in April, but complaints that a prominent listed building must be “effectively demolished” to make way for the gigantic office block meant that the decision had to be referred to the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities.
Heritage bodies including Historic England and the Twentieth Century Society raised concerns about the damage that will be done to Carliol House. The Market Street building’s Art Deco façade will be retained and incorporated into the new offices, but its interior will be torn down – a move that it was claimed would result in “substantial and irreversible” harm to the former headquarters of the North Eastern Electricity Supply Company.
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But it has now been confirmed that Mr Gove has opted against calling in the planning application, paving the way for building work to start in the coming months. While a section 106 legal agreement between the developers and the city council must still be signed before the new development can go ahead, demolition has already begun to make way for the massive office complex.
More than 9,000 jobs are set to move from HMRC’s current offices in Longbenton and Washington to the city centre headquarters, which will transform a huge patch of land wrapping around Pilgrim Street, John Dobson Street, Market Street, and New Bridge Street West. The much-maligned Commercial Union House is being knocked down as part of the project, which has also resulted in the Stack shipping container village closing down.
Coun Irim Ali, the city council’s cabinet member responsible for planning and development, said: “I am delighted the Secretary of State has decided not to intervene on this matter. It means work can begin later this year on Pilgrim’s Quarter – the biggest office development in the history of Newcastle which will provide high quality office accommodation for 9,000 workers.
“It will also utterly transform the appearance of the Pilgrim Street area with a new flagship development, and provide shops, bars, cafes and restaurants with a huge economic boost, securing a vibrant future for our city centre for generations to come.”
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