Bee farm and education centre approved for Hebburn's Carr-Ellison Park

Plans to create a bee farm and education centre in a South Tyneside park have been given the stamp of approval by council development bosses.

South Tyneside Council’s planning department has approved an application for Park Lodge at Carr-Ellison Park in the Hebburn area.

Plans include the change of use of the former park keeper’s house from residential to a mixed use.

The building sits close to the park entrance along the boundary from Canning Street and within the Hebburn Hall Conservation Area.

Under new plans, the premises will be used for a mix of community facilities including an education centre, observatory hive, beekeeping courses, community / meeting space and a small tea room.

In addition, proposed opening hours would be 8am to 8pm, Monday to Friday, 8am to 5pm on Saturdays and 10am to 4pm on Sundays.

The project has been in the making for some time with town hall bosses discussing building lease arrangements for the venture back in May, 2022.

At the time senior councillors praised the scheme’s eco-friendly credentials and community benefits, and added the scheme could reduce vandalism in the park while bringing a long-vacant building back into use.

The plans were later backed by borough councillors at a full council meeting in June, 2022, with a planning application submitted the following year.

After considering the planning application and assessing it against planning policies, South Tyneside Council’s planning department approved it on October 18, 2023.

Council planners, in a report, said the proposals would see a “derelict residential property converted to a community facility” and would be acceptable in principle.

No objections were raised about the development’s design or impacts on residential amenity, parking or highway safety.

A condition was also applied to the plans stating that “disabledaccess arrangements” should be provided before the property is brought into use.

South Tyneside Council is the freehold owner of Carr-Ellison Park and the land was acquired by Hebburn Urban District Council in March, 1920, from Ralph Carr-Ellison.

Under the terms of the original transfer, a charitable trust was created with the council holding the park as Charity Trustee and being authorised to take decisions over the lease of the land.

The park keeper’s lodge is believed to pre-date the 1920 gift from Ralph Carr-Ellison and has stood vacant since around 2015.

Plans for the building’s future followed South Tyneside Council being approached by a beekeeper looking to set up an education centre at the site.

A lease is expected to be granted to a new charitable incorporated organisation specifically for the purpose of the community use, including running the bee farm.

Under planning conditions, the new development at the former park keeper’s lodge must be brought forward within three years.

For more information on the planning application and council decision, visit South Tyneside Council’s planning portal website and search reference: ST/0092/23/FUL