Plan will bring historic building right back to life
An artist’s impression of how Bolbec Hall will look Business Reporter NEWCASTLE’S former coroner’s court is to be transformed into plush offices after developers were given the go-ahead by planners.
It first emerged the derelict Bolbec Hall, a Grade II-listed building on Westgate Road, was destined for a brighter future when it was snapped up by Newcastle Maymask for an undisclosed sum last September.
Maymask revealed plans to convert the hall into swish offices and ambitions to turn the ground floor into a bar or restaurant were later revealed in planning documents.
The company also owns nearby Cathedral Buildings on Dean Street, Newcastle, where it carried out a full makeover to bring in new tenants to the offices.
All those offices are let and it is also about to welcome Kaltur, the Spanish restaurant, into an adjoining building.
Now Maymask’s bid to change the use of the building from coroner’s court to offices and a separate listed building application, allowing changes to be made inside the historic building, have been approved by Newcastle City Council - paving the way for a £1.2m refurbishment project.
Newcastle architecture practice IDPartnership is driving forward the plans for the property, which was originally built in 1907 for Newcastle’s Literary and Philosophical Society.
The society originally funded the construction
of the building as a potential source of revenue but its need for renovation became a drain on the society’s resources.
Once finished, the scheme will serve up 16,000 sq ft of modern office space and it is set to be redeveloped in the same way as the Cathedral Buildings, keeping its historic features while also upgrading each floor to provide Grade A office space.
During the planning process Historic England made no objection but pointed out any work to services at basement level could have the potential to impact on important archaeological remains connected with the Hadrian’s Wall Roman Frontier.
A new glazed lift is to be installed up through the building to replace the existing lift which is no longer operational. The new lift will restore views up through the building and planners noted how it will be an improvement on the existing structure.
Maymask has been granted listed building approval, and approval for change of use, subject to a number of conditions.
Among the conditions, the firm cannot bring the development into use until details of cycle parking, external plant, refuse storage facilities and refuse storage plan have been submitted and approved.
When the building was purchased, Maymask developer John Wade said: “There is no doubt the location being so close to the Central Station transport hub and the adjoining business quarters of the city provides an opportunity to boost the local economy.”