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Premier Inn opens in Iconic Co-op Building in Newcastle

Several years after sitting unoccupied, the iconic Art Deco Co-op building on Newgate Street, Newcastle has re-opened to much anticipation and Landform Surveys is proud to have been a part of this project.

It can be a lengthy process from first commissioning a survey to the completion of the development. This is the case with the former Co-op building on Newgate Street in Newcastle. After closing in 2011, it has re-opened its doors as a new Premier Inn in April as part of a £17M regeneration scheme, taking place over the past five years.

The building, a notable fixture in the city centre, originally operated as a Co-op department had fallen into disrepair. In 2007, Landform Survey was commissioned to undertake a measured building survey of the Grade II listed building, producing detailed floor plans and elevations.

The Art Deco building extends to nearly 170,000 sq ft over six floors and has been a feature of the city’s skyline since it opened in the 1930s. The architect, L.G. Ekins, combined modern Art Deco with Classical features and more than a dash of Egyptian influence, thought to have been inspired by the discovery of King Tut’s tomb by archaeologist Howard Carter in the 1920s as was the fashion of the time.

As the building has had many extensions added to it since the 1930s, this was particularly challenging, but extremely interesting. Hidden art deco staircases were uncovered, which had been covered by shop partitions, and the basement contained stables, long since disused.

Eric Hinds, Director, Landform Surveys Ltd. says of the project:

“I remember (fondly?) being dragged in there as a kid to get my school uniform, so it was fascinating to measure the building in 2007 and see many of the original art deco features hidden away. It’s great to see one of Newcastle’s most iconic buildings back in use, with many of the original features retained and now able to be admired by guests of the hotel in the future.”

9 years after our survey, the building is use again making a great addition to the city centre.