Blackfriars is a restored Grade I listed 13th-century friary in Newcastle City Centre. The buildings that surround the courtyard are currently used for a range of businesses including Blackfriars restaurant, which includes a Banqueting Hall, Cookery School and Tasting Rooms. 

Southern Green is very excited to confirm that the designs we have prepared, alongside separate designs for a new micro-brewery, have recently been granted Scheduled Monument and planning consent. 

The primary focus of the scheme is to improve accessibility and functionality of the existing raised area within the centre of the courtyard, with an appropriately sensitive and high quality public realm design. The existing space is much loved, well used by the restaurant and includes one of the finest trees within the City – a Black Walnut (Juglans nigra). The central area is however approximately 500mm above the surrounding paving, which has a significant impact on accessibility and inclusivity as a public space. The project will reduce the raised area, with appropriately sensitive works surrounding the tree root protection area of the Walnut. The reduced raised area will be paved to create a flexible open space for the restaurant, accessed by a new ramp at the South East corner of the courtyard. New planting within raised beds, café style furniture, freestanding feature planters, parasols and new decorative lighting will complete the scheme to create a new, high quality external dining destination space within the City. 

We are eagerly looking forward to seeing the project start on site in Autumn 2022, with a view to completing the works in time for Easter 2023. 

Click here to read more about the planning consent: https://www.insidermedia.com/news/north-east/historic-site-to-be-transformed-into-community-space