Plans revealed for massive 'garden village' development including new 3,000 homes and three schools in South Tyneside

The £692 million ‘Laverick Park Garden Community Development’ could see the building of 3,000 homes, three new primary schools, a care home, shops, healthcare facilities and sports fields.

Edward Yuill, managing director of Cecil M Yuill Ltd, a partner in Laverick Hall Farm Ltd, says the 20-year construction scheme is the “most sustainable strategy” for house-building in South Tyneside.

He said: “Our scheme represents cutting-edge thinking on sustainable development and would deliver considerable socio-economic benefits to South Tyneside.”

Early plans for the Laverick Park development include ‘garden village’ principles with three separate villages within the wider site each with supporting services and facilities.

Other proposals include 600 affordable homes, new walking and cycling routes and estate ‘shuttle buses” to Fellgate Metro Station and the planned International Advanced Manufacturing Park, near Nissan.

It comes as the developers behind the plans claim they have been “ignored” in a major housing blueprint for South Tyneside.

Earlier this year, South Tyneside Council revealed its draft local plan which sets out proposals to build thousands of homes in coming years.

The plan finished its first round of consultation last week and outlines development land in the borough until 2036 including several green belt sites.

The developers accused council bosses of overlooking proposals for land south of Fellgate which, they claim, could help the council meet housing targets.

But town hall chiefs have stressed the local plan is under consultation with all comments taken into account.

Mr Yuill said the council knew about the plans years ago, adding: “We are therefore at a bit of a loss to understand why [the council] have completely ignored our scheme that could strategically answer much of the area’s housing needs, in favour of 18 smaller piecemeal green belt releases totalling 2,391 houses, much of which will result in significant new housing development imposed on the less sustainable villages of Whitburn, Cleadon and the Boldons which I worry may simply not be able to cope.

“The council’s draft local plan also involves the loss of many existing sports fields, open spaces, leisure facilities and employment sites which we consider is completely unnecessary.”

As South Tyneside Council moves to the next stage of local plan consultation, developers have called for the scheme to be included in future drafts.

A spokesperson for South Tyneside Council said: “We’re aware of the aspirations of Laverick Hall Farm Ltd to develop a new garden community on the green belt to the south of Fellgate.

“This first came to our attention when they submitted comments to our strategic land review consultation in 2016 requesting that the site be allocated in the local plan.

“For the past eight weeks, we have been consulting extensively on the first draft of our local plan regarding the future growth of the borough and it includes proposals for where new homes and jobs could be located.

“At this stage, nothing is set in stone and we will use all of the comments we receive to help shape the formal publication draft which we intend to consult on next year.”