Member Article

Hotel venture for All Saints

A growing North East property business will dip its toe into the seaside hotel sector with a £1.25 million redevelopment project.

All Saints Living will convert Newquay Lodge, on Whitley Bay’s South Parade, into a contemporary 32 bedroomed hotel and restaurant. Work is expected to begin before the end of the year and take around 30 weeks to complete.

Hotel 52, as the new venture will be called, is the company’s first in the hotel sector. Until now, the Newcastle headquartered operation has specialised in conversions and new developments of homes for sale and serviced apartments for rent.

“We have been thinking about expanding into the hotel sector for some time,” said All Saints Living Director, Keith McDougall: “And the regeneration taking place in Whitley Bay provides an excellent opportunity to make this first step.

“Something like £80 million of investment is earmarked to bring the once famous seaside resort right up to date and we are pleased to be able to play a small part in that by adding this building to the growing list of seaside landmarks to be revamped.

The renovation will involve a full refurbishment of the rooms, reception and communal areas, the bar and restaurant, together with a currently unused space which will become a larger South American themed eatery.

This secures the work of around a dozen construction people and creates a further ten new jobs to operate the hotel and restaurant.

All Saints Living has carried out a string of successful development projects in Scotland – where it was awarded Best Renovation title in the 2015 BUILD Real Estate and Property Awards – and Yorkshire, before launching operations in the North East.

Here it has completed Ashcroft Mews, a development of eight homes in a private and enclosed setting in Seaham and the sensitive refurbishments of the former Burn Brea medical centre in Hexham and an 18th century pub and outbuildings in Rennington, Northumberland. Work is also underway on 26 new homes on the site of a former care home in Belmont, near Durham.

It recently purchased the walled gardens adjacent to Newcastle Racecourse at Gosforth and work will commence there soon to develop 14 contemporary, executive homes.

Based at Saint Cuthbert House in Newcastle, All Saints Living is part of The High Street Group, which was established by successful entrepreneur Gary Forrest in 2004 and has grown to become a leading financial and property group. It employs over 50 people and activities include financial claims, property development and developer finance.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Paul Dobbie .