Decision day set for café restaurant and flats plan at Hebburn pub site The Kelly
Plans to give a former pub a new lease of life as a café restaurant and flats are due to go before councillors for decision next week.
South Tyneside Council’s Planning Committee will consider an application for The Kelly public house, off Hedgeley Road, in the Hebburn area.
The residential part of the development included a single five-bedroom house in multiple occupation (HMO), as well as a single separate one-bedroom flat and three two-bedroom flats.
A building extension and new windows were proposed to accommodate the new flats, while the proposed five-bedroom HMO involved the conversion of an "existing first floor three-bedroom managers flat", council planning documents state.
Meanwhile, indicative floor plans for the building’s ground floor submitted back in 2024 showed how the new restaurant/café use would operate, with a large seating area and several servery spaces, including a counter and ‘dessert display.'
During a council public consultation exercise on the plans, there was an objection from the Sunderland and South Tyneside branch of The Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) raising concerns over the loss of the pub use.
Objectors from CAMRA said there was "no justification" being provided by the developers for "the loss of the community asset" under planning policies.
The objectors added: "Should 'no longer viable' as a pub be the justification claimed then we would further expect the local authority to seek evidence to support such a claim and seek a suitable viability study is undertaken."
There were also 13 objections from the public raising concerns, summarised in a council report, including concerns about increased noise, parking difficulties, the future tenants of the accommodation, increased crime and antisocial behaviour, overshadowing and more.
A joint representation was also submitted by all three Hebburn North ward councillors, Adam Ellison, Richard Porthouse and Liz McHugh, raising concerns specifically about the HMO and flats element of the proposal.
This included concerns about increased traffic, parking and access issues, waste storage, noise and disturbance, the "lack of need" for a new HMO in the area, the "restrictive" nature of the proposed accommodation for future tenants and the plans "fundamentally altering the character and nature of the building" which "carries local significance".
Local councillors said the "residential element, with the permanence ofresidents within the building will push parking and those visiting the café/restaurant onto a street that lacks parking capacity, make manoeuvres dangerous and impede passing vehicles and buses, and remove established lines of sight on a road that is already highly residential and dangerous."
Council planners, in a report published ahead of a decision-making meeting next week, have recommended the plans for approval.
It was noted the proposal would "provide social, economic and environmental gains by contributing to reducing the current shortfall in terms of housing supply and delivery whilst the commercial restaurant element would bring part of the building back into use as a local community facility".
Council planners also said "employment benefits would arise bothduring the construction period and as a result of the operation of the restaurant".
The council committee report adds: "In terms of environmental benefits, the proposals would bring a currently vacant building back into use.
"In terms of adverse impacts, the flat roofed frontage first floor extension proposed to the forwardmost element of the existing eastern single storey flat-roofed areas of the building would appear more prominent than the existing single storey flat roofed elements and somewhat out of character within the wider street scene, especially in views along Hedgeley Road.
"No harm or adverse impacts have been identified in respect of residential amenity, biodiversity, highway safety or crime/antisocial behaviour.
"Overall, on balance, in this instance the adverse impacts arising from the proposal are not considered to significantly and demonstrably outweigh the benefits associated with the development.
"The proposal would represent an acceptable and sustainable form of development and therefore benefits from the presumption in favour of sustainable development.
"There are no material considerations which indicate that a decision should be otherwise and therefore the application is recommended for approval."
The committee report also said "normally change of use from a dwelling to an HMO for up to six persons is permitted development that does not require planning permission from the council".
However, in the case of The Kelly public house, the "managers flat is ancillary to the public house and not a separate dwelling" and therefore requires planning permission, council documents confirm.
Although it was noted that the "building will have to be extended" to "facilitate the proposed HMO rooms", council planners said "the footprint of the building would however not be increased, and the resultant scale of the proposal is considered to be acceptable".
Council planners noted there were "no other existing licensed HMOs in the immediate vicinity" and that there would not be "significant harm in terms of cumulative impact" due to the area's mix of residential and commercial uses and that the future "day-to-day operational matters and management" of the residential use was the responsibility of the operator.
It was also noted that "there have been untidy land complaints received by the council relating to the site and therefore bringing the site back into use is considered a positive outcome."
On the ground floor use and proposed change of use of the pub, the committee report adds: "There are other public houses and catering establishments in the wider local area and the site is not included on the council’s register of assets of community value.
"Given all of the above, and notwithstanding the objections received, it is considered in this instance that the proposed restaurant use would be acceptable in principle."
A decision on the plan will be made by South Tyneside Council's Planning Committee at its next meeting on Monday, September 15.
The meeting is scheduled to start at 10am at South Shields Town Hall and will be open to the public.
For more information on the plan or to track its progress, visit the council’s planning portal website and search reference: ST/0516/24/FUL