Iconic Whitley Bay Landmark Saved By Lottery Grant

Proof perfect of the old saying that you should never give up has been highlighted by the £3.7 million grant that has been made to save the Spanish City and Dome at Whitley Bay. The money will be used to restore the Grade II listed building, and is a success for perseverance, as a previous bid for financial assistance had been turned down.

Bright future for this wonderful building

That took place earlier this year, and although the scheme had the requisite support, the bid was rejected as £52m worth of applications to the Heritage Lottery Fund had been received from across the country for just £12m of funding.

North Tyneside Council then made a further application for the money by way of a new Heritage Enterprise funding scheme. This was coupled with a campaign to garner support from the public.
Consultation events were held and more than 800 people made comments about the site’s future. The resultant success of all of this hard work is now welcomed. Mayor Norma Redfearn said: “This is really exciting for us. This building is loved by most people in North Tyneside and beyond. We had lots of support from the public to get this show on the road. This announcement is the fruition of everyone’s efforts. I can’t tell you how delighted I am. I look forward for this building to develop into a fantastic facility.”

The restoration scheme incorporates proposals for an activity centre, community space, and food and retail outlets in the Dome. The grant will also help towards vital repairs to bring the structure back to its former glory.

Under the scheme, £182,700 will initially be awarded to the council to fund the development of the project. Detailed proposals will then be considered by the HLF at the second-round stage and the scheme will continue after it is rubber-stamped.

Ivor Crowther, head of HLF North East, said: “We have awarded this grant because we really do feel it’s a special project. One thing we really do want to see is the economy boosted and more jobs being created. We could see there is genuine support for this building to be brought back into use.

“The Heritage Enterprise programme looks to invest in historic buildings that without our investment would stand empty. To have such a wonderful building like this not being in use and becoming semi-derelict is a real shame. We have to look at making it sustainable for the future.”

When completed in 1910, the building had the largest freestanding dome in the UK after St Paul’s Cathedral, and in its pomp, the Spanish City and Whitley Bay Pleasure Gardens attracted tens of thousands of visitors from across the country. Following a period of decline during the 1980s and 90s, the building closed permanently to the public in 2000.

                                                  Learn more about this iconic building