East Boldon homes: locals shocked at plans returning and they fear horrendous effect on sea life
Controversial plans for a new housing development in South Tyneside have been rejected following concerns about pressures on the area’s sewerage system.
The proposals for the redevelopment of part of Cleadon Lane Industrial Estate near East Boldon went before the latest meeting of South Tyneside Council’s planning committee.
The scheme from Avant Homes proposed demolishing remaining buildings on the 6.3-hectare site to bring forward 202 homes, with 18 apartments and 184 houses proposed.
It was previously approved by the committee in February 2023 by majority vote despite 300 objections being received.
Worries included increased pressure on schools and health services, increased traffic and air pollution, parking issues, harm to wildlife, loss of employment land and the ability of the sewerage infrastructure to cope.
However since that time further planning issues have arisen in respect of foul drainage matters and changes to local and national planning policy concerning housing land supply/delivery and Green Belt matters.
This included documentation supplied by Whitburn Neighbourhood Forum concerning waste water discharges from the combined sewer overflow (CSO) at Whitburn Steel Sewage Pumping Station (SPS), as well as several key reports related to Northumbrian Water.
One report was linked to regulator The Water Services Regulation Authority (Ofwat), which a council planning report summarised as “a proposal to issue an enforcement order and impose a financial penalty on Northumbrian Water in respect of CSO discharges.”
It added Ofwat’s “draft order including reference to alleged failings at Whitburn Steel SPS and Hendon Sewage Treatment Works”.
Another issue included a statement from the Office for Environmental Protection linked to an investigation into the sewerage system.
Council reports confirmed this meant the proposals had to return to the planning committee for a further decision to be made, with officers recommending the application for approval once more.
This would have been subject to conditions and a section 106 legal agreement, to secure funding from developers towards ecology mitigation, school places and highway improvements, which was “close to being completed.”
Council planners considered the benefits of the proposal, including the delivery of new housing and 46 affordable homes, “would not be significantly and demonstrably outweighed by the harm arising.”
They also ruled that, subject to the recommended conditions, it was considered the proposals “would be acceptable with regard to flood risk, foul drainage network/treatment capacity and water pollution.”
However the meeting saw speeches from five objectors, including Steve Lavelle, of Whitburn Neighbourhood Forum and campaigner Bob Latimer, who has campaigned for decades over issues around sewage discharges into the sea off the South Tyneside and Sunderland coast.
Mr Latimer said it was “shocking” the application was coming forward for a decision, adding he was “notified” no verdict would be made until the full Ofwat report is published.
He added: “This is not acceptable, adding more sewage to a system that is way under capacity, and adding more shouldn’t be allowed.
“The sewage, it’s not just human waste… but today there are so many chemicals in it, so many people are being treated for cancer at home and the effects of that are all being distributed into the sea, and the effect on sea life is just horrendous.”
Ian Forster, former councillor for Cleadon and East Boldon, also argued it would be “best practice” to wait for the Ofwat report, along with raising concerns over contaminated land at the site.
He added: “Yes we need to build houses, but they have to be safe houses to live in where families can be brought up safe in the knowledge that the effect of the sewage and the local contamination is not going to affect their families.”
Council planners at the meeting noted they had no indication of the time-scales involved for future publication of the final Ofwat report
Elsewhere Dave Hutchinson, from East Boldon Neighbourhood Forum, said the group had a “long list of issues” over the proposals which “have not been fully addressed”, including worries around a lack of housing for older people and traffic.
Neil Westwick, senior director at Lichfields, the agent for the application, said Avant Homes are “ready to start on site in the short term and deliver the significant benefits of this development”.
He added: “The proposals would contribute significantly to the council’s five year housing land supply.
“It’s one of only a handful of brownfield opportunities in the borough which is capable of delivering more than 100 homes.
“The redevelopment of this site will make a meaningful contribution to delivering new housing using brownfield land.”
He also noted there had been no objections from Northumbrian Water or the Environment Agency, while in terms of foul drainage flows, the application “represents a betterment compared to the existing situation.”
Numerous South Tyneside Alliance Group and Green Group councillors on the committee voiced concerns over this issue however.
Councillor David Kennedy said: “I still have major concerns over the sewage.
“This little development in Cleadon is affecting the whole borough and it’s not been addressed.”
Meanwhile Councillor Andrew Guy noted there was a “lack of information” on if there is “sustainable capacity” within the sewerage network and “too many conflicting sides.”
Councillor Paul Brenen added: “I don’t believe that we have adequate capacity in the [sewerage] network to accommodate this application.”
Councillor Shirley Ford, Cleadon and East Boldon ward representative, said she thought “there is a lot that is wrong with this current plan.”
She added: “On balance looking at where this site is, and the nature of this application, I really do have too many concerns.”
However Labour’s Councillor Eileen Leask noted they have to be compliant with planning law and “there is nothing wrong with the actual plan for this site.”
Her party colleague Councillor Paul Dean added: “It would be a substantial boost for the depths of housing land supply we have got and there is some affordable dwellings.”
After an initial vote to approve the proposal was defeated, councillors moved to reject the application – which was supported by seven votes to six.
Reasons for the refusal were that the impact of the sewerage issues “significantly and demonstrably outweigh the benefits” of the scheme, impacting on both human health and ecology.
At the same meeting proposals to demolish the former Whitburn Lodge site off Mill Lane in the Whitburn area to make way for 32 homes were also refused for similar reasons.