Plans approved for nursery in former Hebburn police station

South Tyneside Council’s planning department recently registered an application for a site in Victoria Road East in the Monkton ward.

The single-storey building was previously used by Northumbria Police and according to planning documents, has been vacant since 2016.

In recent years, a number of planning bids have been lodged to transform the site into retail units, however the applications were refused by council planning chiefs.

This included an application which was refused by South Tyneside Council in 2018 and dismissed on appeal by the national Planning Inspectorate the following year.

New plans from applicant The Family Tree Nursery aim to revive the ex-police station as a nursery while creating jobs in the local area.

After considering the application and assessing it against planning policies, South Tyneside Council’s planning department approved it on June 10, 2022.

Although the building’s external facade is expected to remain unchanged under the plans, internal works aim to create a number of large spaces for use by the nursery.

In addition, part of the existing car park to the rear of the building will be converted to provide an enclosed outdoor play area.

A planning statement submitted to the council on behalf of the applicant states the new nursery would cater for a maximum of 72 children.

It adds the nursery attempts to recruit locally and that proposed staff numbers for the Hebburn site would be around 12, split across full and part-time roles.

The planning statement reads: “All children at The Family Tree Nursery are encouraged to learn holistically through play, with the curriculum covering all the key areas of learning whilst being tailored to meet the needs of the individual child.

“The applicant intends for the proposed development to be far more than just a simple children’s day nursery.

“The intention, as established within their existing nursery in Wallsend, is to become a cornerstone of the local community, providing significant community benefits.”

According to a transport statement submitted on behalf of the applicant, 50% of children attending the nursery would be dropped off and picked up by car and 50% would walk or travel by bus.

For more information on the planning application, visit South Tyneside Council’s online planning portal and search reference:ST/0260/22/FUL