Esh to build Lidl store in nuclear bunker

Esh Construction’s commercial build division has secured a £10m contract to turn an old nuclear bunker into a hotel and supermarket.What used to be the Hexham Bunker is set to become a 69-bedroom Travelodge hotel and a Lidl store. The project will include significant works to highway infrastructure to improve access.The 5.5-acre site was purchased in October 2018 by Newcastle-based Union Property, owned by Raj Kumar Sehgal, after being vacant for nearly 30 years.Plans for the 2,177 m2 Lidl store and four-storey Travelodge were approved by Northumberland County Council in late 2019 and include outline consent for two further retail units.Union Property has appointed Esh as the design and build contractor, working with a design team of FaulknerBrowns Architects, Portland Consulting Engineers and Kyoob.Construction is set to start within weeks with infrastructure works on Alemouth Road and Station Road, including the formation of a new roundabout and access road into the development site.