Plans approved to 'reinstate' giant pick axe-shaped miners' memorial in Jarrow

Last year, South Tyneside Council submitted an application to its own planning department for a site off Springwell Road in the Primrose ward.

This included siting a memorial on a grassed area opposite the junction to Field Terrace and Jarrow School.

The memorial, known as Alfred’s memorial, was originally located on the site of the former Tunnel Club, an ex-servicemens’ club in North Street.

However the memorial was removed due to the club’s demolition in 2015 to make way for the current Joseph Collin House housing complex, and has been in storage since.

The memorial includes a raised platform with kerbstone edging and a metal monument shaped to look like a pick axe from above, paying tribute to the area’s mining heritage and the former Jarrow Colliery.

South Tyneside Council confirmed the new plans aim to “reinstate” the memorial at a prominent new location.

After considering the planning application and assessing it against planning policies, the local authority’s planning department approved it on January 9, 2023.

A council decision report prepared by planning officers states the memorial indicates “both community spirit and the social development of the area” and will “reflect a quality of sense of place”.

The council decision report adds: “There are no implications for surrounding residential privacy or amenity.

“The development is sufficiently set back from the public footway/highway to have no implications on highways safety or the safety of pedestrians.

“No objection has been received to the proposal, which is considered ‘sustainable development’”.

For more information on the plans and council decision, visit South Tyneside Council’s online planning portal and search reference: ST/0710/22/LAA