Milestone reached in Pilgrim’s Quarter scheme

A significant milestone has been reached in the Pilgrim’s Quarter development with a ‘topping out’ ceremony last Friday (18 October), as one of Newcastle’s ‘landmark’ office projects took another major step forward.

The event was attended by staff from HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC), Newcastle City Council and the project development team, with bosses celebrating the “significant milestone” in the building’s completion and hailing the “transformational” impact it promises to have, both in terms of regeneration and in stimulating economic activity.

Cllr Karen Kilgour, leader of Newcastle City Council, said: “It’s so exciting to see the completion of a significant milestone in the construction of this massive development.

“It’s impossible to overstate the transformational effect all these people working in the city centre will have. Shops, restaurants, bars, and attractions all stand to benefit.

“That all this will come from a part of the city centre that for years lay abandoned and unloved makes it remarkable and shows the incredible things that can be achieved when the public and private sectors work together.”

The new HM Revenue & Customs regional centre, covering a colossal 463,000 sq ft, will house approximately 9,000 staff, making it the largest of HMRC’s 14 regional centres. The building stands at between six and nine storeys and wraps around a complete block of property fronting Pilgrim Street, Market Street, New Bridge Street West and John Dobson Street.

Jim Harra, HMRC’s chief executive and first permanent secretary, added: “Newcastle’s Pilgrim’s Quarter will create career opportunities within HMRC’s largest office, a high quality, modern and accessible working environment, and enable us to better meet the needs of our employees and customers.”

Commercial, town planning and project management services have been provided by Avison Young, with architectural design by Ryder Architecture and engineering input by Cundall. The contractor for the project is Bowmer and Kirkland.

Chris Turnbull, principal at Avison Young, added: “We are delighted that Pilgrim’s Quarter continues to progress on programme to handover to HMRC in late 2025.

“Like everyone else, we are excited to see the building take shape and celebrate a ‘topping out ceremony’.”

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