Spanish City In Whitley Bay To Reopen
26 November 2013, 10:45 | Updated: 30 March 2016, 13:50
Whitley Bay’s Spanish City and Dome will be restored and reopened - after a £3.7million Heritage Lottery Fund grant
When it was built in 1910, its Dome was the largest freestanding dome in the UK after St Paul’s Cathedral.
At its height Spanish City and Whitley Bay Pleasure Gardens attracted tens of thousands of visitors from across the UK.
Following a period of decline during the 80’s and 90’s, the building closed permanently to the public in 2000.
The money will now go towards major refurbishment for leisure, retail and business enterprise use.
This grant was awarded through HLF’s new Heritage Enterprise programme which launched in April 2013.
It addresses ‘market failure’ - where buildings have previously failed to attract investment or realise their commercial potential because the cost of repair has meant that they were not commercially viable.
This Lottery investment is now bridging that financial gap, enabling vital repairs and conservation works to transform Spanish City into safe, usable and inspirational space.
Now that this grant is approved a much more detailed stage two bid process will begin early in the New Year and further consultation events will be arranged.
