Grounds for optimism over United’s plan
COMMUNITY HUB PROJECT LOOKS SET TO GET THE GREEN LIGHT
PLANS for a state-of-the-art sport and education hub close to St James’ Park could move a step closer this week.
The Newcastle United Foundation unveiled its plans last year to create a new multi-million pound base on the site of a former community centre near the stadium.
Murray House, in Diana Street, was the place where hundreds of youngsters in the city fell in love with football – including Magpies star Shola Ameobi – but it has been closed since a deal was struck last year for the football club’s charity to take it over.
Newcastle City Council’s planning committee will decide on Friday whether to give the plans the green light, paving the way for the creation of a raft of impressive new facilities.
The multi-million pound development will include a sports hall and football pitch, classrooms and learning suites to deliver education and training, plus meeting space for the wider community.
As well as football, the site would also accommodate sports including futsal, badminton and cricket.
Kate Bradley, head of the Newcastle United Foundation, said: “This would be an important milestone in our project to rebuild an important community asset that has served people in Newcastle since the 1930s.
“We would then look forward to moving the scheme on to the next phase.”
Council planning officers have recommended that councillors grant approval for the scheme.
A report to the committee said: “The proposal would result in the redevelopment of a currently vacant community building which is falling into disrepair to provide high-quality sports facilities for community use, the principle of which is welcomed and accords with national and local planning policies.
“The proposed development of a high-quality contemporary building accommodating indoor courts and sports hall, activity studio, seminar/ classroom facilities and rooftop fivea-side pitch would provide for increased community use of the site which can be secured through a community use agreement.
“The loss of open space has been weighed against the public benefits of the proposal, and the harm caused through the loss is considered to be outweighed by the benefits created.”
While the project would result in the loss of a number of protected trees, the council says that mitigation measures to plant replacement trees and shrubs are acceptable.
It added: “When balancing these impacts with the above benefits arising from the enhanced sports facilities it is considered that, subject to conditions to appropriately control the detail and operation of the proposal, the economic, environmental and social impacts arising from the proposed development would be acceptable and would deliver a sustainable form of development.”
Murray House was first built in the 1930s to offer leisure and training for men and boys left unemployed as shipbuilding started to move out of the region, before being rebuilt in 1973.