Newcastle Building Society to convert Monument site

Work has been taking place behind the scenes since fashion retailer French Connection closed their store at Monument last year.

The building society is working on a full redevelopment of each of the five floors of the massive Grade II listed building on the corner of Grainger Street and Monument, at the heart of the city centre. Plans include the creation of office space, events and meeting areas, and a huge flexible community space.

Proposed designs for the branch (Image: Submitted)

Originally built in the 1830s, and now part of the Newcastle Central Conservation Area, previous occupants of 155 Grainger Street include Boots, Geordie Jeans, and more recently French Connection.

Andrew Haigh, chief executive officer at Newcastle Building Society, said: “The scale of work underway is impressive and given the character of the building, highly complex. But redevelopment continues at pace and people will start to notice more activity on site over the coming months as contractors begin the internal fit out ahead of opening in the new year.

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“It’s essential that people in our communities can have a face-to-face conversation about their money, preserving that vital access to trusted financial advice and information.”

The lower ground floor of the building will be transformed into a flexible community space for use by local groups, charities, and organisations and for a range of activities including employability workshops, social events, meetings, and collaboration.

Andrew added: “Monument has a special place in the hearts of so many people. We want our branch to be part of that ongoing legacy.”

Gateshead-based Arcas Building Solutions has been appointed as lead contractor on the Monument branch development, with the Newcastle office of Silverstone Building Consultancy providing a project management service.