Posted on March 19, 2015

AspinallVerdi has been appointed by North Tyneside Council to work with Restoration People, ADP Architects, Mott MacDonald and New Skills Consulting to prepared detailed financial appraisals and business plan for a Heritage Lottery Fund grant application.

Spanish City was a theatre, shops, various leisure and amusement rooms, outdoor pleasure grounds with rides and amusements (now gone), and a large rotunda hall with dome as the central point of orientation.

Built in 1910 the building was immortalized by the band Dire Straits in their 1980’s single, “Tunnel of Love”.  The building was Grade II listed in 1986, but has been closed to the public since early 2000’s.

There is overwhelming public support for the reuse of Spanish City and the rotunda is recognised as the main catalyst for the regeneration of the sea front area of Whitley Bay.  AspinallVerdi will be working as part of the team to appraise options for the restoration and reuse of the buildings as part of the business case for investment.