Plans for the HMRC base in Newcastle – the largest office project ever proposed for Newcastle city center – have been officially submitted.
The historic Pilgrim’s Quarter building, where the Stack Newcastle shipping container leisure complex is currently located, is set to become the UK’s largest HMRC base, following news that 9,000 government workers will be moving to the city .
The nine-story, 463,000-square-foot project is slated to open in 2027 and HMRC will occupy the entire development on a 25-year lease, having confirmed its intention to move out of its Benton Park View site – which houses the “Department” for over 70 – earlier this year.
READ MORE –Find more news from the city center here
The Newcastle team of real estate company Avison Young is acting as a planning consultant to developer Reuben Brothers (Newcastle) Ltd, and the company has said the priority is to speed up the pace of planning and demolition work.
The planning application was submitted to Newcastle City Council last Friday.
Matt Verlander, Director of Planning, Development and Regeneration at Avison Young, said: “Avison Young, as a planning consultant, and the design team have been working with city council since January of this year to develop the planning application for the Pilgrim’s Quarter project.
“This included reviewing a wide range of design options and approaches to carefully consider how best to develop the site while assessing the potential impacts of the project.
“The urban planning file was submitted to city council on Friday and marks an important step for the project. We look forward to continuing with city council to move the project forward to the council planning committee in spring 2022. ”
Gordon Hewling, Managing Director and Regional Managing Director of Avison Young, said: “This is the culmination of over 18 months of hard work by Avison Young for Pilgrim’s Quarter itself, and over 18 months. two decades of involvement in the wider development of Pilgrim Street.
“This is exactly the type of project that demonstrates the strength of the Avison Young regional agency network, with business advice provided by the entire team in terms of transaction structure, agency, planning, property management and project management consulting.
“All of these services were provided from the Newcastle office. It follows our involvement in similar projects in Birmingham and Nottingham, drawing on our expertise at the interface of the public and private sectors.
“Over the next few years, we look forward to managing the delivery of this iconic building, which will be a major catalyst in downtown regeneration and anchor the redevelopment taking place across Pilgrim Street. “
HMRC’s current office in Longbenton – where the lease is expected to expire in 2024 – currently houses a number of agencies, including The Pension, Disability and Carers’ Service, Jobcentre Plus and The Health and Safety Executive.
HMRC was looking for an office in Newcastle city center to become its new home, and two locations were first considered before moving to Pilgrim’s Quarter.
The departments that will be based in the new office include customer services, customer strategy and design, finance, human resources, transformation and specialized customer-compliant facilities.
For the latest local news from your area delivered straight to your inbox every day, go here to sign up for our free newsletter.