A building renowned as one of the ugliest eyesores in Newcastle has now been completely demolished.
Commercial Union House has been torn down as part of a massive transformation of Pilgrim Street, in the city centre, paving the way for a new £155m HMRC office complex to be built.
Contractors have been gradually removing the brutalist 1970s block since the northern end of the road was closed off last month, with the first step being to dismantle the infamously unattractive section of the building that jutted out over the street. But now the entirety of the former office building, which in more recent years was rented out by artists’ collective Orbis, has been reduced to rubble.
It means that city centre shoppers and workers now have a dramatically different view of one of Newcastle’s most well-known streets. People walking down Northumberland Street now have an unobstructed view down to the former fire station in Pilgrim Street, which itself is due to be brought back to life as a five-star hotel.
Demolition works around Pilgrim Street have also encompassed the removal of the Stack shipping container village and the old Dex car park. Bamburgh House in Market Street will also be torn down and so will the interior of the listed Carliol House, though its art deco facade will be incorporated into the new development.
The huge HMRC site, to be known as Pilgrim’s Quarter, will be the biggest office site in the history of the city centre – a giant building wrapping around Pilgrim Street, Market Street, New Bridge Street West, and John Dobson Street. It will stand at between six and nine storeys tall and will accommodate more than 9,000 HMRC staff, who are being moved from sites in Longbenton and Washington.
Newcastle City Council approved the major construction plan, being led by the Reuben Brothers, in April and praised it for offering a “huge economic boost, securing a vibrant future for our city centre for generations to come”.
Heritage groups had raised concerns about the substantial demolition work at Carliol House, but the government opted against calling in the council’s decision to award planning permission.
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