A disused fire station in Newcastle city centre is set for a new lease of life as the luxurious Hotel Gotham, if a dispute with police and council bosses can be resolved.
Plans were approved in 2021 for an £11.5m renovation of the empty Pilgrim Street station, which has not been used since 2005, that would transform it into a five-star venue. And it has now emerged that it is set to be known as Hotel Gotham, a sister hotel to an opulent Manchester location based a grand former bank building that was named the best luxury city centre hotel in all of northern Europe in 2022 - with rooms costing up to £1,000-a-night.
The proposed 60-room hotel, which is not linked to the popular Gotham Town bar in Neville Street that closed in 2019, is part of a major overhaul of the entire Pilgrim Street area that will also see a massive HMRC office complex built. But the prospective tenants for the luxury venue, which would have a bar and restaurant open to non-guests, must first secure a licence from Newcastle City Council – and face opposition ahead of a hearing next week.
