Go-ahead for giant office block in city
BUILDING WILL WRAP AROUND FAMOUS OLD PUB
A GIANT office block wrapping around Newcastle’s famous Strawberry pub will be built, after getting the green light from council bosses.
Housing association the Home Group is set to construct a new sixstorey headquarters that would tower over the iconic drinking spot next to St James’ Park.
The plans include a huge threestorey window overlooking the Strawberry’s outdoor terrace and will bring around 700 workers into the city centre.
When Home Group’s designs were first unveiled last October, the Strawberry’s licensees said the project would “finally safeguard the future of this iconic pub”.
The plans are not connected to the wider £120 million redevelopment of other land in Strawberry Place for apartments, offices, and a hotel that were controversially approved in 2019 despite objections from hundreds of Newcastle United fans.
Home Group’s plans were expected to come before Newcastle City Council’s planning committee for elected councillors to decide their fate, but have instead been approved under emergency powers granted to civic centre officers during the coronavirus lockdown.
It is understood that the scheme will go ahead subject to a legal agreement being signed.
The council said that just two objections were made to the plans, raising issues that the building will be “bulky, overly dominant and intrusive”. But a report concluded that the block would be an “innovative development” that would have a positive impact on the city’s economy.
Coun Ged Bell, the council’s cabinet member for employment and culture, said: “The pandemic has had a shattering effect on the economy and it’s set to get worse before it gets better.
“It’s vitally important once lockdown is eased and we start to get back to something resembling normality we have economic activity in Newcastle. That is why I welcome the Home Group’s £24m investment which could not come at a better time for our city.
“We can also expect unemployment to rise sharply, so the 190 construction jobs and 225 spin-off jobs this development will create will be essential for our local economy as we seek to mitigate the challenges that lie ahead.”
Mark Henderson, chief executive of Home Group, added that he was “delighted” that the plans were set to get the council’s approval.
He added: “We’ve worked closely with them [the council] to ensure that the building is fit for everyone’s purpose.”