Former Bank Building Set For Major Restoration
A former city centre bank in Newcastle-upon-Tyne is set to gain a new lease of life as a leisure and residential scheme.
The Grade-II listed former Allied Irish Bank Building on Collingwood Street was built in the early 1890s for a private bank and was later used by Allied Irish Bank as its headquarters in the city, but its upper floors have been empty since the 1990s and the bank vacated the rest of the building in 2013, the Chronicle and Journal reports.
However, Portland Real Estate Group has unveiled multimillion pound plans for a transformation of the premises. This would involve turning the ground floor into a bar and restaurant complex, while 12 new apartments will be developed on the higher floors. The third floor will also be extended and there will be new pace for an on-site gym, concierge and cycle storage.
If planning permission is granted, this listed building restoration project will finally bring back into use a building that has been earmarked for development for many years.
The same paper reported last week on plans for another Grade-II listed building in the area to be given a new purpose.
Victoria Hall in South Shields had been in use as a restaurant before it closed in 2019. Later that year a planning application was lodged to turn the upper floors into an aparthotel. Both this and a separate listed building consent application have now been granted, ending fears over the future of the 125-year-old building following a recent fire that damaged the roof.
The South Tyneside Council planners’ report said the redevelopment would “convey sensitive consideration of its surroundings and protect, preserve and enhance the historic character, heritage, visual appearance and contextual importance of the listed building.”
Overall, Newcastle-upon-Tyne has 811 listed buildings and South Tyneside has 195. While many are Victorian structures like the Allied Irish Bank building and Victoria Hall, others are associated with Hadrian’s Wall and the Roman occupation.