Growing North East developer Modo Bloc has secured planning permission to redevelop a former Gateshead pub into luxury accommodation.
The rapidly expanding Newcastle-based developer is to create nine self-serviced apartments at the former Causeway Hotel site, in the Carr Hill / Sheriff Hill area of Gateshead.
Planning was successfully secured by Tony Carter, of Carter-Smith Planning Consultants.
The £1m project will comprise nine one-bed high-end apartments when completed in the summer of 2024. Redevelopment of the old Causeway – known to locals as The Causey – will be starting shortly.
The space will be efficiently redesigned, maximising the potential use of the building for private development purposes.
The project will be styled and developed much like an earlier scheme that Modo Bloc brought to the market in 2021 – Chelmsford Lofts, a stylish 8-flat aparthotel in Sandyford, Newcastle.
Elsewhere, Modo Bloc is currently developing a former care home in Forest Hall, Newcastle, into 12 self-serviced luxury apartments, just off Station Road, at Springfield Park. The £2m project is due to be completed within the next few months and will be handed over and managed by Your Lofts, a subsidiary company of Modo Bloc. Accommodation managed by Your Lofts is proving popular with people booking weekend ‘staycations’ and longer corporate stays.
George Jenkins, MD of Modo Bloc, explained: “Causeway Lofts will be delivered to the same high standard of building construction and interior design as Chelmsford Lofts. These are designed with an aspirational, modern standard of living.
“The site is in an ideal location for the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, and only four miles from Newcastle city centre.”
“Chelmsford Lofts was a bit of a pilot, but I have been delighted with the market response. This has convinced me to grow this side of the business and seek other land and investment opportunities to deliver similar schemes elsewhere.”
Over the last two to three years, Modo Bloc has pipelined over £60m worth of developments. George explained that he and his team have moved on from student accommodation and small refurbishments to larger residential conversions along with building new homes and commercial developments, including several housing projects in and around the Ouseburn area.
George said: “We have ambitious plans to build more design-led homes and develop more land for both residential and commercial use with exceptional artisanship at the forefront. We’re always looking at interesting investment and development options in North East communities and beyond.”
