Decision day for apartments at ex-sports bar in South Shields

South Tyneside Council’s Planning Committee is due to rule on plans for the former Buzzers Bar in the Beacon and Bents ward.

Developers are hoping to redevelop the vacant sports bar building, which sits on the junction of Victoria Road and Imeary Street, to create a mix of accommodation.

Original plans submitted by Beaumont and Partners Ltd last year proposed a total of 11 self-contained apartments and 16 one-bedroom ‘house in multiple occupation’ (HMO) units.

According to documents submitted to council officials at the time, the HMO element of the development was split into two self-contained eight-bedroom apartments benefiting from shared living and kitchen facilities.

The development also proposed external works to “modernise” the building and an extra floor to facilitate new apartments.

During a council consultation on the original plans however, around 14 objections from 11 addresses were submitted, with concerns ranging from the development’s visual impact, “overdominance” and impacts on the character of the area, to the introduction of new HMOs.

During the planning application process the proposed extra floor was removed from the plans, reducing the total number of apartments.

Following another round of consultation on the amended proposals, objections were submitted from four addresses, with concerns raised about the development’s appearance, loss of privacy, HMOs and more.

Councillor David Francis, Beacon and Bents ward member, made a request for the application to be decided by the council’s Planning Committee.

In a written statement, Cllr Francis raised concerns about the “overconcentration” of HMOs in South Shields, the development’s impact on the “residential amenity of neighbours” and the “negative impact on the character of the neighbourhood”.

A similar ‘call-in’ request to the Planning Committee was made by councillor at the time, Wilf Flynn, noting South Tyneside Council’s previous scrutiny investigation into HMOs in the borough.

Councillors on the Planning Committee are due to discuss the plans at a meeting at South Shields Town Hall next week.

This includes a final scheme for “six self-contained residential apartments” and “two eight-bedroom HMO apartments”.

Council planning officers, in a report prepared ahead of the meeting, have recommended the scheme for approval subject to conditions.

This includes the completion of a Section 106 agreement, which is used to secure funding from developers to reduce the impacts of developments, as well as requesting financial contributions towards community improvements.

In the case of the former Buzzers Bar, the legal agreement is expected to secure funds for a ‘traffic regulation order’ linked to parking restrictions.

A council planning report adds: “It is considered that, and notwithstanding the objections, that the proposed uses are an acceptable re-use of the property, that the property is a suitable size to accommodate them (with the proposed alterations and extensions) and that it is also acceptable in terms of the consideration of residential amenity”.

A statement from the scheme developers, which is also included in the report, stresses the company has a “sizable portfolio” and its own lettings team, with properties typically occupied by “working professionals who have to pass a screening process”.

Full details of the apartment complex proposals are expected to be outlined at a decision-making meeting on Monday, June 19, at South Shields Town Hall.

The final decision on the development rests with councillors on the Planning Committee, who will meet from 10am.