Plans have been submitted to turn the former Roxanne's nightclub in South Shields into a 44-bed guest house, transforming the legendary venue that closed in 2021.
From nightclub to guest accommodation
South Tyneside Council has received plans to convert the Ocean Road venue into a guest house, after previously rejecting proposals to turn it into student accommodation with a mix of self-contained studio flats and houses in multiple occupation.
Roxanne's opened in 1990 in the cellar space beneath the former Wonderland Amusements on Ocean Road. Known as Rupert's to older revellers in the 1970s, the club outlasted many of its North East counterparts before closing in 2021.
Visitor-focused location
The applicant says they are seeking to put an 'underused building back into productive use in a highly sustainable and visitor-focused location.' The supporting statement adds: 'Ocean Road is an established route between South Shields town centre and the foreshore and contains a strong mix of restaurants, cafés, shops, leisure businesses and visitor activity.'
'Guest accommodation is therefore complementary to the function of the street and would support overnight expenditure within the local economy.'
