Council homes development approved in Marsden area of South Shields

South Tyneside Council’s Planning Committee, at a meeting on Monday (May 20), approved a council application for a site off Lizard Lane in the Marsden area.

The grassed site sits between Lizard Lane and Fallow Road and once housed a block of residential apartments and shops before demolition works in early 2022.

New plans sought permission to build homes offering affordable rent with 12 new properties built by and managed by the council.

This included two two-bedroom houses and six three-bedroom houses, as well as four two-bedroom apartments split between ground-floor and first-floor spaces.

Dedicated parking provision was also planned per dwelling, with each property having access to a private garden area, as well as vehicular access being taken from several points on Fallow Road.

Those behind the scheme said this layout aimed to avoid direct vehicular access from Lizard Lane, while responding to the sloped nature of the site and “maintaining the green character of the site to the perimeter”.

During a council consultation exercise on the plans, around five public representations were received either objecting or raising concerns.

Comments ranged from the loss of green space and the “negative effect” the new buildings would have on the area, to fears about wildlife impacts and parking pressures.

South Tyneside Council planners recommended the housing proposal for approval, and the plan won unanimous support from the Planning Committee after being put to the vote this week.

A committee report added the site had been “identified as being surplus to requirements […] where its loss would not result in a material deficiency of open space provision in the wider general locality of the site”.

Councillors heard the new homes would also be ‘A-rated’ for energy consumption and would use energy efficiency measures including solar panels, thermal store and battery storage, as well as having electric vehicle charging points.

Planning Committee member councillor Andrew Guy welcomed the eco-friendly elements of the council housing development, including “potential on-site [energy] generation”.

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Speaking at South Shields Town Hall, Cllr Guy said: “There are huge estates that don’t end up with anything like that.

“But we’re building social housing and we’re doing it right and I think that should be absolutely recognised and hats off to the team behind that”.

The council homes will be funded through South Tyneside Council’s housing revenue account which is funded by rental income, and grant funding provided by Homes England, and as part of the council’s five-year housing capital strategy.

Councillor Jim Foreman, South Tyneside Council’s cabinet member for housing and community safety, welcomed planning permission being granted.

Speaking after the council meeting, he said; “This development will provide much-needed affordable homes in a very popular location.

“It will also be bringing previously-developed land back into use, in line with our brownfield first policy.

“We’re proactive about delivering good quality modern homes, in line with our ambition of creating strong communities where people live in safe, sustainable neighbourhoods.

“Housing is a lot more than just bricks and mortar, it can change people’s quality of life, which is why we’re proactive about developing the kind of good quality, affordable homes local people want.”