Plans approved for 69 homes near South Shields FC ground after developers 'went back to the drawing board'

South Tyneside Council’s Planning Committee has unanimously approved proposals for land south of the 1st Cloud Arena, off Shaftesbury Avenue.

This included demolishing a former industrial building, previously the Filtrona site, and constructing 69 affordable homes in its place.

The application was submitted by Hedley Planning Services on behalf of Adderstone Living Ltd and South Shields FC Ltd.

The revised plans follow a previous bid for 66 dwellings on the site, as part of a hybrid planning application from the football club and a construction firm.

However this was withdrawn following backlash from local residents and consultees – with concerns at the time including a new access road from Tavistock Place, the loss of open space and associated noise and disturbance.

At a Planning Committee meeting to decide the application on Monday, September 27, councillors heard there had been no objections to the revised scheme.

Previous proposals for an access road from Tavistock Place were scrapped, with vehicular access proposed from Shaftesbury Avenue.

Planning officers, recommending the application for approval, said the application was a “significant improvement” on the previous withdrawn scheme.

Following discussion, the plans won unanimous backing from councillors.

Planning approval is subject to a section 106 legal agreement, which would see the applicant provide £27,807 towards mitigation work at protected nature sites.

The agreement is also expected to secure ‘credited travel cards’ for first occupiers of the affordable homes at a value of £50 per dwelling.

Councillor Wilf Flynn said the revised plans were a “prime example of going back to the drawing board” to resolve issues.

Councillor Geraldine Kilgour added: “I think a major part of this development is that it has been redrafted, that the residents have been heard and the developer has listened.

“There’s 69 affordable homes looking to be built here which can only be a good thing, the provision of the travel cards and the section 106 agreement just make it entirely acceptable […] and I’m in full support of it.”

The development will include a mix of two, three and four bedroomed properties with onsite visitor car parking and new landscaping.

Properties are expected to be developed by social housing specialists Adderstone Living to provide quality housing for local people with affordable rent and rent-to-buy options available.

Joe Ridgeon, director at Hedley Planning Services, welcomed the planning decision after the meeting.

He said: “This is clearly good news for local people desperate for good quality housing at affordable prices.

“We’re working with developers and planning authorities across the North East to ensure that similar much needed affordable housing is viable and helps to plug the chronic housing gap.”

Construction is expected to begin on the site in early autumn with the first phase of properties available in early 2022.

Hedley Planning Services recently secured consent for the development of over 110 new affordable homes across the region, including a £9million development of 45 properties on land at Chilton Moor in Houghton.

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