One of Newcastle’s busiest streets looks set to stay shut throughout July as huge demolition works continue.
The northern end of Pilgrim Street has been closed since mid-May, under a huge regeneration project that will bring thousands of Government workers into a new city centre headquarters by 2027. A series of prominent buildings are being torn down to make way for the Pilgrim’s Quarter complex, where more than 9,000 HMRC workers are due to be transferred to from offices in Longbenton and Washington.
The brutalist Commercial Union House and the old Dex car park have already disappeared, while the Stack shipping container venue has also been dismantled over the past couple of months, and ground was officially broken on the new £155m office block late last month. Next in contractors’ sights is Carliol House, the listed art deco building on Market Street that was originally the headquarters of the North Eastern Electricity Supply Company. Neighbouring Bamburgh House is also due to be torn down.
Read More: Building work starts on £155m HMRC complex in Newcastle after demolition works transform city centre
Newcastle City Council has confirmed that the six-week closure of Pilgrim Street, between its New Bridge Street West and Market Street junctions, that had been set to expire last Monday, July 4, is now due to last another four weeks. The local authority said that the continuing restrictions in a part of the city that has changed dramatically over recent weeks were needed to make sure the demolition is done “in a safe and appropriate manner”.
The future of Carliol House was the subject of some controversy before Newcastle City Council approved the Reuben-brothers led plans for Pilgrim’s Quarter. Heritage groups complained that “substantial and irreversible” damage was being done to the 1920s building.
The grade II listed site, built by the architects behind the British Museum, will have its exterior façade and prominent dome retained under the huge redevelopment, but its interior will be torn down to make way for the HMRC offices. The concerns, from bodies including Historic England and the Twentieth Century Society, meant that the council’s decision had to be referred to the government for final sign-off, but former Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Michael Gove opted against calling in the planning application.
A council spokesperson said: “The ongoing demolition work is due to start on Carliol House, however, access to the site from New Bridge Street West is currently restricted due to archaeological investigations taking place in that location. Extending the Pilgrim Street closure to provide continued access to the site from that location will help to ensure the demolition work can be completed in a safe and appropriate manner and in line with listed building requirements.”
The Pilgrim’s Quarter complex will stand at between six and nine storeys tall and wrap around Pilgrim Street, Market Street, New Bridge Street West and John Dobson Street.
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