Newcastle Quayside set for new luxury hotel as disused building reutilised

Plans to turn a vacant building into a luxury hotel have been approved.

The Dakota Hotel is set to take over the disused St Ann’s Wharf building, which has been empty since last year.

The plans, for a 118-room hotel plus a bar and restaurant, were signed off by Newcastle City Council's planning committee on Friday 1 September.

An extension, that would need to be built on the ground floor to create a new entrance and lobby area for the hotel, drew opposition from the 20th Century Society due to the loss of two arched windows at the front of the building.

The preservation campaigners said that the building was of “national significance” and should be designated as a heritage asset, but council officers argued that the benefits of bringing it back into use outweighed any “unfortunate” consequences from the extension being built.

Concerns were also raised by the committee about a lack of secure cycle storage or disabled parking spaces at the hotel.

Liberal Democrat councillor Doreen Huddart claimed that the development was “discriminatory” towards people with mobility problems who might want to apply for a job at the hotel – as they would need to be dropped off and picked up outside the main entrance rather than drive themselves.

Nevertheless, the plans were approved unanimously.

The council's cabinet member responsible for planning, cllr Irim Ali, said: “It is great news that this hotel has been given the go-ahead by the planning committee. It will only add to the popular appeal of the Quayside as a centre for culture and tourism.

“It will also help create 150 new jobs in the local community offering apprenticeships, internships and graduate training programmes, also giving 65,000 visitor nights per year which will be great for generating new business for local bars and restaurants.”

Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To Know...