Plans in for Jesmond infill project
Newcastle architect Alt Studios has lodged proposals to adapt a hotel and car park at Moseley Passage, a development combining apartments and mews houses.
Alt Studios’ design for client T Puri introduces eight two-storey mews dwellings arranged to establish a private courtyard, transforming a disused car park behind Osborne Road.
Additionally, the upper floors of the existing Whites Hotel building will be reinstated to provide 10 apartments, further contributing to the area’s regeneration.
The submission marks a milestone for the site, which has been under the same ownership for more than three decades but has struggled in recent years, with the growth of city centre options and the Covid pandemic being key factors.
Maldron and Indigo are among the hotel brands to have arrived in Newcastle over the last dozen years, while Dakota is converting an office block at the Quayside for a 118-bedroom hotel.
A redevelopment would return the building to its original residential use, whilst addressing functional and visual shortcomings of the existing rear structures, said Alt Studios.
Paul Milner, co-founder of the architecture practice, said: “Our focus is on creating high quality homes that enhance both the community spirit and the urban environment, ensuring long-term benefits for Jesmond while setting a precedent for challenging, small infill developments in the region.”
The proposals centre around a shared courtyard, to re-establish a sense of community for the residents. By introducing homes tailored for professionals, young families, and retirees, the development aims to rebalance a neighbourhood dynamic affected by an oversaturation of student houses in multiple occupation.
The development also emphasises sustainability by lowering on-site parking from 21 to eight dedicated spaces for the mews residents.
The new housing designs exceed nationally described space standards, as set out in planning policy, with a design drawing on “traditional Jesmond architectural elements, reinterpreted in a contemporary way, including vertical brick dentil courses and stepped facades that mirror the area’s historic character”.
Alt Studios said that by “enhancing previously neglected spaces like Moseley Passage, the proposal aims to serve as a benchmark for regeneration in the area and create a vibrant residential spirit through its thoughtful design”.
Should planning consent be secured, work could begin in early 2025, with completion in 2025.
