Plans submitted for new 'affordable' housing development in South Shields

South Tyneside Council has submitted an application to its own planning department for a site in the borough’s Whiteleas ward.

The site, which sits between Reynolds Avenue and Gainsborough Avenue near St Oswald’s Church, has been earmarked for 17 new homes.

According to planning documents submitted with the application, the site was once housed a care home but is now “mostly level grassed space”.

New plans, if approved, would see homes return to the site which would be provided by South Tyneside Council’s arms-length management organisation South Tyneside Homes.

A design and access statement submitted to council officials notes the housing would be for ‘100% affordable rent’ with a mix of two-storey houses aimed at “families of 3 to 6 people”.

The housing mix includes five two-bedroom homes, nine three-bedroom homes and three four-bedroom homes, with the development arranged across three terraces.

It is understood that one dedicated parking space would be provided for each of the two and three-bedroom properties and two spaces each for the four-bedroom properties.

In addition, two unallocated spaces would be provided on a private drive at the north of the site, plus three visitor parking bays across the development.

Two new vehicle accesses are also proposed from Reynolds Avenue, with one designed as a ’shared surface’ arrangement “forming a controlled through access to Gainsborough Avenue”.

Those behind the scheme said this arrangement would “avoid the creation of multiple turning heads within the narrow site, minimising the visual impact of the proposed highway and maximising the thermal efficiency of the terraces proposed”.

It was also noted that the “green character” of the site would be retained to the development perimeter, including the retention of the existing trees.

The design and access statement adds: “The development site is well situated and served by existing local amenities such as a medical centre, schools, recreational parks and local shops all within cycling and walking distance.

“The site is also well connected by existing bus services, with multiple bus stops along the adjoining routes, as well as Metro links within South Shields towards Newcastle and Sunderland city centres and rail stations”.

A decision on the plans is expected to be made once a period of council consultation has concluded.

Comments can be made on the plans until November 21, 2023, via South Tyneside Council’s planning portal website.

For more information on the planning application or to track its progress, visit the council’s planning website and search reference: ST/0741/23/LAA