South Tyneside Council submits plans for improvements to Middlefields Recycling Village

South Tyneside Council has submitted an application to its own planning department for the reconfiguration of the Middlefields Industrial Estate and Recycling Depot.

The council site houses a number of the local authority’s service providers and several third-party organisations commissioned to operate services, as well as external contractors who use the site for services ranging from fuelling to vehicle washing.

New plans aim to revamp the site with the “construction of a new gatehouse, addition of a canopy to domestic bin store and the relocation and addition of parking”.

Plans have been submitted to council planning officials with a number of supporting documents providing more details on the scheme.

A design and access report notes the proposed redevelopment aims to “maximise the efficiency of the site, as the demands upon the site will increase in future years”.

Plans also aim to “safely accommodate the current needs of the site, whilst future-proofing the electrification of the vehicle fleet”, in line with the council’s pledge to become carbon neutral by 2030.

Works include organising the site into “defined areas” for fleet parking and staff and visitor parking (including electric vehicles), as well as refuse vehicle parking and commercial and domestic bin stores.

There will also be defined areas for container storage, “enhanced MOT and vehicle parking”, motorcycle parking, other storage areas and a new gatehouse and access/egress arrangements.

It was noted that the scheme had been “developed with a one-way traffic system in place […] to help improve pedestrian safety due to the fewer turning movements of vehicles”.

The design and access statement adds: “The reorganisation of the site is possible due to the (proposed) relocation of the highways department to the VENJ (Viking Energy Network Jarrow) site in Jarrow and allows the pedestrian and vehicular traffic to be safely managed with defined footpaths and crossing and dedicated parking areas”.

As part of the proposed works, a number of buildings and structures are proposed to be demolished “in order to enable the best possible scheme on the site”.

According to the design and access statement, this includes a mix of derelict or temporary buildings and the “outdated” gatehouse.

A planning statement from the council noted the Middlefields redevelopment would “improve the safety and efficiency for employees and visitors to the Middlefields Industrial Estate”.

It was noted that the proposed development would “rationalise the current uses at the site (and) lead to economic efficiencies”, including a “reduced maintenance burden”.

Council documents also clarify that the scheme “does not propose any amendments to the waste management facilities onsite” and that existing Suez, Remondis, Wolseley Stores and Vehicle Wash facilities would be retained.

Councillor Jane Carter, deputy council leader with responsibility for governance, finance and corporate services, said plans aimed to improve the Middlefields site’s “layout, function and efficiency”.

Cllr Carter said: “Middlefields is a key operational site that accommodates a range of council services and external partners.

“The site has developed organically over time and has become inefficient in terms of layout and configuration.

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“The proposed reconfiguration of the depot seeks to improve the site’s layout, function and efficiency, through strategic planning and redevelopment.

“It will include the demolition of several redundant buildings, the targeted resurfacing of the internal road network, the creation of dedicated external storage areas, and segregated parking for fleet, refuse collection vehicles, staff, visitors, accessible, and electric vehicles.

“The proposed changes would maximise the current and future use and efficiency of the site, and reduce maintenance costs and energy consumption.

“There would also be increased security measures implemented including site-wide fencing upgrades, additional CCTV, improved lighting, a new gatehouse and vehicle ANPR (Automatic Number Plate Recognition).”

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

Comments can be made on the plans, via South Tyneside Council’s planning portal website, until July 19, 2024.

For more information on the plan, or to track its progress, visit South Tyneside Council’s planning portal website and search reference:  ST/0393/24/LAA.