South Shields' The Dunes complex next to fair and seafront can expand its restaurant

South Tyneside Council’s planning department has approved an application for The Dunes entertainment complex next to the fair and seafront in the town.

The venue includes a traditional amusements arcade, eating and drinking establishments, a bowling alley and a soft play area and is a popular destination for visitors to the foreshore.

Plans submitted to council development bosses last year (2024) sought permission for a ground floor extension to the existing Sambuca restaurant on site.

The initial extension plan aimed to provide additional seating and toilets with an additional “70m2 of new internal floor space” to the existing property.

Works were planned on a rectangular site where timber decking is based and the project aimed to provide a “direct link” between this area and the “curved face of the restaurant”, with a rectangular box-shaped extension with entrance doors, windows and ‘Sambuca’ signage.

The final extension plans showed space for around 10 tables with nearly 40 covers, as well as a toilet and separate accessible toilet, and council planning documents confirmed six cycle spaces would be provided.

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After considering the planning application and assessing it against planning policies, South Tyneside Council’s planning department approved it on February 21, 2025.

Council planners, in a decision report, said the plans aimed to “enhancethe existing dining experience by expanding the internal seating area”, as well as providing a “more comfortable and spacious environment for patrons”.

It was noted that applicants were seeking planning permission to “enhance the restaurant’s functionality and appeal while integrating [the extension] seamlessly with the existing structure”.

Council planners said that the proposal was acceptable and would “result in the promotion of further leisure facilities at the coast [which would] bring economic benefits”.

The council decision report adds: “The proposed extension would not result in significant visual harm when compared to the existing restaurant’s curved and yellow appearance and would instead show a visual contrast between the existing restaurant property and a new modern extension.

“There are a number of other buildings of a modern design in the immediate vicinity.

“The proposed materials are considered acceptable. It is deemed that the proposed works would not result in significant design and visual harm.”

On highway safety and parking matters, council planners also said there was an “abundance of public car parking in the area” and that the site was “in close proximity to public transport links consisting of a local bus service.”

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It is not the first time plans have been submitted for the land at The Dunes, with proposals for converted shipping containers and an extension to create hot food takeaway units registered back in 2021.

However, the plans were refused by South Tyneside Council’s planning department in February, 2022, following health and obesity fears and an objection from the council’s public health department.

Following approval by South Tyneside Council this month (February, 2025), the modern restaurant extension needs to be brought forward within three years.

For more information on the planning application, or council decision, visit South Tyneside Council’s planning portal website and search reference: ST/0642/24/FUL