Holborn park campaigners face nervous wait for plans at South Shields riverside regeneration area

Developers are preparing to submit plans which could see more than 250 homes built in the Holborn area of the town as part of a £200million blueprint for regeneration and other projects.

But the proposals have left campaigners fearful for the future of a green space and play area between Laygate Street and Commercial Road, which has been earmarked for up to 40 properties.

“It’s still early to be saying [definitively] what our position is on it,” said mum-of-three Leyla Al-Sayadi, who began a drive to raise awareness of the proposals in 2020.

“A lot of people are saying to us they haven’t had enough time to think about it, or that they don’t know what the consequences could be.

“But we also don’t have a lot of time to think about things, they want to start work in April – we don’t have the luxury of time.”

Families in the area were alerted to the scheme last year (2020) when developers Keepmoat Homes and Cussins distributed leaflets to homes.

Campaigners are largely accepting of plans for redevelopment, but have called for a ‘reasonable solution’ to the issue of the park.

There is also opposition to suggestions the existing park and green space may be built on and relocated elsewhere.

A formal planning application is expected to be submitted to South Tyneside Council’s planning department in the coming weeks and months, setting out the developers’ plans for the area in greater detail.

A borough council spokesperson said: “I would like to reassure residents that the consultation being undertaken by Keepmoat and Cussins is early pre-planning consultation.

“All responses will be considered and help Inform the final scheme before a planning application is submitted.

““Further consultation will then be undertaken as part of the usual planning process.

“We would encourage residents to engage with consultations and have their say both now and throughout the period.”

A petition calling for the park to be preserved currently has more than 570 signatures – visit www.change.org/p/south-tyneside-council-save-the-children-s-park-trees-and-field-habitat-in-holborn-riverside-south-shields to find out more.

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