Two new retail 'pods' to open outside South Shields Asda housing a Timpsons and a barbershop

Proposals for new ‘retail pods’ at a South Shields supermarket have been given the green light.
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Back in September 2021, a planning application was lodged with South Tyneside Council for the Asda superstore off Coronation Street.

This included two freestanding single storey retail units to the front of the main supermarket, adjacent to the pedestrian entrance.

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Floor plans submitted with the application also identify future uses for the pods – a Timpson store and a barbers business.

Two new 'pods' are to open outside Asda in Coronation Street, South Shields.Two new 'pods' are to open outside Asda in Coronation Street, South Shields.
Two new 'pods' are to open outside Asda in Coronation Street, South Shields.

According to planning documents, no car parking spaces would be lost as a result of the development and the existing taxi pick up/drop off layby nearby would remain unchanged.

After considering all representations, South Tyneside Council’s planning department approved the application on Tuesday, November 2.

A council decision report reads: “The proposed development would not be located within the primary shopping frontage but would be set within the primary shopping area.

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“The applicant has stated that this is because the units would be ancillary to the main supermarket building and it would not be financially viable for the business to occupy a vacant unit set on a primary shopping frontage due to the size of unit required and existing competition within Market Place.

“It is not considered that the small size of the units would result in significant harm to the viability of the primary shopping frontages and therefore the location of the proposed units is considered to be acceptable in this regard.”

The planning report goes on to say: “There are no residential properties within 150m of the site and they are all screened from the site by surrounding buildings.

“Given this and the small scale of the proposal in relation to the surrounding land uses, it is not considered that there would be any significant harm upon the residential amenity of any residential properties.

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“The design of the proposed units would [also] be acceptable and given their scale, when set alongside the large supermarket, there would be no significant harm upon the visual amenity of the area.”

Under planning conditions, the retail pod development must commence on site within the next three years.

For more information on the application, visit South Tyneside Council’s online planning portal and search reference: ST/0711/21/FUL

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