newcastlecentric

It’s ideas like this that may seem a little nutty, but really put a place on the map for tourists and give the city a buzz. It’s just a shame they don’t always work out as planned.

Hotel Monument was to be an outrageous hotel apartment with Charles Grey himself protruding through the bedroom.

As part of the city’s East ‘08 festival, the installation by Japanese artist Tatzu Nishi would have seen a five star suite built over 40 metres in the air around the statue at the top of Grey Street.

The room, which would have included a fully functioning bathroom and Plasma television was due to be available for booking this month, and open from mid-August to mid-September.

But if enjoying the company of a former prime minister carved of stone in a small box on stilts seems like an opportunity too good to miss, bad news. Put the cheque-book away for another year.

In a press release from One North East, officials explain the challenge of building the structure proved too much to manage this summer, while a Newcastle city council cites issues with planning permission.

All involved are still confident the installation will go ahead, though it’s unlikely to happen until next year - long after the East ‘08 festivities have ended.

For more stories like this, you can follow us on Twitter, subscribe to our RSS feeds or visit our page on Facebook.