Verdict on developers' second attempt to create new South Shields town centre flats

South Tyneside Council’s planning department has approved an application for 106 Fowler Street in the Beacon and Bents ward in South Shields.

Council planning documents state the site currently consists of a retail unit on the ground floor with an “associated store area” to the first and second floors.

Applicant CPC Property 2 Ltd recently applied for “prior approval” to convert parts of the building into residential uses, including the “change of use of existing retail and associated storage areas to form one flat and one, two-bedroom dwelling.”

Proposed floor plans showed the front retail space facing Fowler Street being retained, and the single studio flat being based on the ground floor behind the retail area, in part of what was a retail area / workshop.

Elsewhere, the “two-bedroom flat” was planned across first and second floors, with a bathroom, store, kitchen and living / dining area outlined in designs.

However in a decision notice published earlier this year (2025), South Tyneside Council’s planning department refused the initial plan after raising concerns about potential noise impacts and the “close proximity of the proposed dwellings to commercial properties including air conditioning/external plant units affixed to such properties”.

The council decision report at the time said that “insufficient information has been provided by the applicant with their application to enable the local planning authority to establish that the impacts of noise from commercial premises on the intended occupiers of the proposed development would be acceptable.”

Fresh plans submitted to the council in October, 2025, for the same address proposed a “change of use of the rear of the ground floor to form a studio flat, and the first and second floors to form a two-bedroom dwelling”.

The resubmitted application also included a “noise impact assessment” report which concluded that the “existing plant noise to the rear of the property, accompanied by the proposed glazing and ventilation plan, will also mean that the site fully conforms to the specified standards.”

After considering the planning application from CPC Property 2 Ltd, South Tyneside Council’s planning department approved it on November 25, 2025.

Council planners, in a decision report, said the resubmitted application had resolved previous noise issues and was acceptable in terms of impacts on the “intended occupiers of the development”.

The council decision report added: “The application site is on Fowler Street, South Shields, a significant mixed-use area with commercial properties in proximity, including to the ground floor.

“The applicant has submitted a noise assessment and the council’s noise officer is satisfied with the submitted details.

“Overall, the proposal demonstrates that the noise generated from existing items of plant nearby would not result in disturbance to occupiers of the proposed residential units.”

Under planning conditions, the development must take place within three years.

For more information on the plan and council refusal decision, visit South Tyneside Council’s planning portal website and search reference: 250629

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