New plans submitted for 18-bed South Shields HMO with cinema room and private balcony

Fresh plans to convert a town centre pub site into a large “co-living” development have been submitted to council planning chiefs.

South Tyneside Council’s planning department has received a new application for the Annie McCarthy’s pub site at Albemarle Street in South Shields, near the South Shields Interchange.

Plans were approved back in October 2025 to convert the pub site into a residential use and to create a 17-bedroom house in multiple occupation (HMO), described by developers as “co-living accommodation” aimed at “young professionals."

A total of 17 bedrooms were proposed across three floors, each with an en-suite and ‘snack station’, along with a ‘café style’ communal kitchen and communal lounge and another communal kitchen in the building.

Other proposed communal features in original plans included a cinema/games room, a laundry room, secure bin storage and secure bike storage and a large rooftop terrace, as well as one bedroom benefiting from a “private balcony."

Those behind the scheme said the building was “no longer a financially viable public house” and that the proposed co-living development would bring several benefits, such as future tenants “contributing to the local economy by spending money on goods and services” and the development “enhancing the local environment."

New plans submitted for South Shields site

New plans from PS Commercial Limited have now been submitted seeking permission to change the use of the pub site to an "18-bed HMO."

A design and access statement from developers notes the revised plans follow a "comprehensive review of the approved scheme with the clear objective of raising the standard of accommodation, enhancing communal provision, and delivering a higher-quality living environment".

The design and access statement adds: "This revised application seeks planning permission to deliver an eighteen-bedroom co-living development, providing high-quality, fully self-contained rooms each with en-suite facilities and dedicated kitchenettes.

"The scheme is further enhanced by secure cycle storage and a generous range of shared amenities, including café-style communal living, a home study, a large rooftop terrace and some private balconies.

"Collectively, these improvements will ensure the long-term reuse of a prominent vacant building, contribute to regeneration objectives, and deliver a well-designed, sustainable form of accommodation aligned with modern living expectations."

For more information on the plan, visit South Tyneside Council's planning portal website and search reference number: 250808