Planning and Listed Building Applications for the Grey Street mixed-use development in Newcastle-upon-Tyne have now been submitted and validated. The development will include a luxury hotel and rooftop swimming pool as well as terraces, bars and restaurants.

During an extended Pre-Application Enquiry period, Space Architects have been working closely with developer the Malhotra Group and the City Council. This period has been undertaken to agree the ‘principles’ of the project, before formally submitting the main applications.

The site occupies a significant area within the historic fabric of the city and bounds the south-western end of Grey Street, Mosley Street and extends to the Cloth Market.

The proposed development site sits within the Central Newcastle Conservation Area and contains six designated listed buildings which are either Grade 2* or Grade 2, all of which will be refurbished and re-purposed in a sensitive manner to respect the building’s heritage and suit the new uses proposed.

David Coundon, Director at Space Architects, said: “It is thoroughly rewarding to be given the opportunity to restore these historic buildings back to their original beauty whilst also remodelling them in order to create a sustainable leisure destination fit for the 21st Century.

“This development will reinvigorate a whole section of the city and create a place that can nurture, entertain and inspire people; a place that can champion cultural life and a place that meets the client’s and city's ambitions for regeneration and growth.”

In addition to the listed buildings on site, there are two further buildings from the 1930s & 50s which are not listed. These are proposed to be replaced with architecture that responds to the specific street context, has regard to the proportions and character of the adjacent buildings, whilst at the same time being unashamedly contemporary in their design.

Within the heart of the development, a new glazed atrium is to be formed to the rear of Grey Street, to provide vertical circulation and help link the ground floor hotel lounge to the upper levels and roof terraces.

Hotel bedrooms and suites are to be located on the upper floors across much of the development and are to be connected via bridge links, which will span across a pedestrian lane.

The Grey Street development is one of several recent heritage projects that Space Architects have been involved with, including designs for an Aparthotel at 1 Mosley Street and the Sir Terry Farrell Building at Newcastle University.

The practice is also currently on site with the refurbishment of Stockton Globe Theatre, following the successful completion of the Darlington Hippodrome Theatre in 2017. Space Architects have also been involved in multiple recent projects in Durham, within the World Heritage Site inner setting.

Chris Holmes, Director at Space Architects, commented: “We are delighted to be involved with so many prestigious and high-profile heritage schemes within the region, that demonstrate our architectural vision for the creative re-use of these buildings.

“Many of these fantastic buildings have laid empty for years, but these developments will help preserve their status, bring them back into use and ensure their long-term viability”.    

Space Architects have been working alongside consultants Lichfield, Cundall and WYG to help deliver the Grey Street project.