Revised plans for container café development near South Shields Ferry Landing

The site which has been proposed for a 'container café' development in South Shields.The site which has been proposed for a 'container café' development in South Shields.
The site which has been proposed for a 'container café' development in South Shields. | Local Democracy Reporting Service
Revised plans for a “container café” development near the South Shields Ferry Landing have been submitted to council development bosses.

South Tyneside Council’s planning department has received an application for a vacant parcel of land at Ferry Street in the town, near The Word Library.

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The site which has been proposed for a 'container café' development in South Shields.The site which has been proposed for a 'container café' development in South Shields.
The site which has been proposed for a 'container café' development in South Shields. | Local Democracy Reporting Service

The ‘Ferry View’ development aimed to provide a “gourmet deli” food and drink offer, with a mix of hot and cold drinks and sandwiches and toasties, as well as offering bike hire services.

A design and access statement previously submitted to council officials said the retail element of the scheme would be created from “converted containers” and that “demountable sail canopies will provide a high-quality scheme”.

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Applicants also said the development would “provide a contemporary and high-quality café and ancillary facilities to local commuters and people using the coastal bike route which runs parallel to the site”.

Following a council public consultation exercise however, around 19 objections were submitted raising concerns ranging from the loss of green space, impacts on views and impacts on the setting of the Grade II-listed Alum Ale House, to anti-social behaviour and noise.

One objection came from the nearby listed Alum Ale House which, according to council documents, raised concerns about the café development “steering away [the pub’s] clientèle”.

Elsewhere, one supporter of the scheme included Beacon and Bents ward councillor, David Francis, who said the development would “make good use” of a vacant site and “help encourage cycling/active travel and draw more visitors to South Shields town centre”.

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During the planning application process, amended plans and information were submitted linked to highways and biodiversity matters and plans were officially approved on September 5, 2024.

It was hoped that the development would be up and running in November, 2024, however fresh plans have now been lodged for the development site.

A new application registered by South Tyneside Council in January, 2025, is seeking planning permission to tweak the previously approved plans.

The planning application indicates that the principle of the container café development would remain the same, with proposed changes including smaller buildings on site and removing some previous elements of the scheme.

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Those behind the plan said changes are being proposed following a “further costing exercise” looking at the development’s viability.

The planning application states: “Container sizes [would be] reduced to 20ft from 30ft, and their positions adjusted to suit on-site levels and reduce proposed retaining structures.

“[The] lower terraced seating area [would be] removed, ‘sail canopies’ removed and block paving area reduced and material changed to block paving but ‘non-matching’ with existing.

“All changes [are being] proposed following a further costing exercise and in an effort to make the development viable”.

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Revised plans confirm the scheme would still include a café building, bike racks, a cycle store building and a toilet building with an accessible toilet, along with shrub planting to the perimeter of the site and a large outdoor seating area with around 18 tables.

The container café development has been developed with the council and the future operator of the café has previously been named as the same team behind Green Fingers Garden Centre in South Shields.

Those behind the scheme previously said the development is expected to create between 6-12 new jobs and would be a “family-run business” with a “community focus”.

The containers for the café development are expected to be prefabricated and ‘dropped’ onto the development site and applicants said the development would “provide a service” for a key transportation link and a “cycle hub” for a major cycle route.

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It is also hoped that the development will benefit from plans to relocate South Tyneside College to King Street in South Shields, as well as investment to build a new multi-million-pound landing for the Shields Ferry at North Shields Fish Quay.

A decision on the revised planning application for the Ferry Street site is expected to be made once a period of council consultation has concluded.

Comments can be made on the container café plan, via South Tyneside Council’s planning portal website, until January 31, 2025.

For more information on the plan, visit the council’s planning portal website and search application reference number: ST/0748/24

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