A prime site to develop

Jul 16 2008 by Graeme King, The Journal

A PRIME piece of property in the heart of Jesmond in Newcastle has been put on the market.

The former Osborne Garage on busy Osborne Road in the suburb offers a quarter of an acre of land to develop. Owner Sir John Fitzgerald, which operates Newcastle city centre bars The Bridge, Bacchus and Crown Posada amongst a substantial North East licensed portfolio, is said to have tired of trying to win planning permission to develop the site, so is willing to listen to offers for the freehold.

The old garage building currently on the site covers 7,661sq ft, and stretches back as far as the back land behind Osborne Road, and also has an entrance through one of the shops on Acorn Road. Agents Bissett Kenning and Newis are marketing the property for Sir John Fitzgerald.

The site could prove a thorny one to develop, since repeated attempts to develop the nearby Gresham Hotel have met with opposition from local residents. The most recent application, from restaurant chain Pizza Express, was thrown out by Newcastle City Council’s planning committee.