South Shields: Outcome of crunch meeting on major Ocean Road student flat plan as objectors demand their say

South Tyneside Council’s Planning Committee this week was due to decide on plans for a large building in Ocean Road, which sits on the corner with Anderson Street in the town centre.

The site comprises the existing ground floor Workwear and Schoolwear Company unit, the former Roxanne’s nightclub in the basement and a bar / nightclub space across the upper floors, planning documents state.

Plans for the site submitted back in January, 2025, aimed to retain the ground floor shop unit and redevelop the rest of the building, including extending it upwards, to create dozens of new residential flats.

This included plans for 30 self-contained studio flats and two six-bed houses in multiple occupation (HMOs) or ‘cluster apartments’, with the project described in submitted plans as “student accommodation”.

The proposed development from applicant Regal Property Stroud Ltd included the construction of a new “mansard roof” to create a new third floor, along with demolishing the existing “glazed stair” and constructing a new stair/lift entrance to the building’s western elevation.

A design and access statement submitted with the plans described the development as “residential co-living” with 42 flats in total, including a large number of one-bedroom studios and two “cluster co-living apartments”.

Communal kitchens across upper floors were also proposed, along with the basement including a student social / study space, a gym, a cinema room, toilets , storage areas and cycle storage, according to proposed floor plans.

During a council consultation exercise on the plans however there was public opposition, with 40 objections submitted to the local authority at the time of writing.

The objectors’ concerns, summarised in a council committee report, included the plans resulting in an “overconcentration of HMOs”, antisocial behaviour, the “nature of future occupants”, pressure on local services, the “lack of car and cycle parking”, noise pollution, drainage and more.

A decision was due on the plans at Monday’s (July 21, 2025) Planning Committee and council planning officers had recommended the plans for approval.

Following a presentation from council planning officers, the plans were put on hold after councillors discussed an objector’s email which claimed several objectors had been “prevented” from speaking at the committee meeting.

Councillors were told the email criticised the amount of notice given around registering to speak at the Planning Committee and also made reference to council assurances that a transcript of an objector’s comments would be read out at the Planning Committee, however this never happened.

The email to councillors called on the Planning Committee to defer the matter to allow objectors to speak in person in future, and deferral was raised as a formal proposal by councillor David Kennedy.

Cllr Kennedy, a member of the Planning Committee, said residents had not been given enough notice to make their intention known to speak and that he believed the council public gallery would have been “half full” due to the number of objectors.

“There seems to have been some sort of assurance given [by a council officer] that a letter of objection in particular, that we have all been made aware of this morning, would be read out and we have neglected to do that.

“So I feel that under the circumstances, the public haven’t been given fair opportunity to object to this in a formal matter.

“I therefore feel that it should be deferred and then proper notification given to these people […] and give them a proper window of opportunity to make it known that they want to come here”.

Cllr Kennedy added that a decision on the application should be deferred until “due process and policy has been delivered to the residents that are objecting.”

Council planners, responding, said that committee notification letters had been sent in the (first-class) post to objectors, along with emails.

Council planners noted one objector with an interest in speaking at the meeting couldn’t attend and that it had been agreed that a statement could be read on their behalf, however, council officers said no written statement was received.

Cllr Kennedy suggested there had been some sort of “failure” in “processing” the statement, which he said had been sent ahead of the Planning Committee, and criticised the previous timescales involved in residents being notified.

“I think the public should be given a fair amount of time to make arrangements and actually stand [in the council chamber] and give their objections to this scheme,” he added.

“Because this is massive, it’s a big scheme concerning a lot of people and big changes to the building, traffic, bins and everything else that goes with it.

“I think that the people that live around there deserve to have their voice heard.”

After being put to the vote, a proposal to defer the plans was approved by the Planning Committee.

A decision on the planning application will be made at a future meeting.

For more information on the plan, visit South Tyneside Council’s planning portal website and search application reference number: ST/0740/24