Plans submitted to build 400 homes on estate
JUST 2% OF PROPOSED HOUSING WOULD BE AFFORDABLE
HUNDREDS of houses could be built on a North Shields industrial estate after developers submitted designs to the authority.
North Tyneside Council gave outline planning permission to Miller Homes and Northern Trust Company to build up to 400 houses at the West Chirton Industrial Estate South, on Norham Road in 2017.
The 35-acre site is mostly comprised of empty former industrial land and overgrown grassland.
Previously, planning officers recommended approval because they believed there was no reasonable expectation of the site being brought back into employment use.
Now the builder has come back to the council with a ‘reserved matters’ application for the layout, appearance and landscaping of the scheme.
It shows plans for 382 homes, these will be a mix of two, three and fourbedroom houses with gardens and 5.9 acres of land will given over to public space.
A design and access statement claims that future residents will be no more than 400-metres walk from the nearest bus stop with regular services into North Shields and Newcastle.
The document also pointed out that residents could reach local facilities on foot.
It said: “The development is within a reasonable walking and cycling distance of a good range of local facilities and has public transport connections to the wider area.
“Overall, the site is accessible by sustainable modes of transport and is considered an appropriate location for a residential development.”
The developers say that the habitat for dingy skipper and grayling butterflies will be preserved on the site.
According to a viability statement the applicant can only afford to set aside eight homes, representing 2% of the development, for affordable housing.
The affordable homes will be added too, and would be made up of five twobedroomed and two three-bedroomed units.
Members of the council’s planning committee will vote on the latest stages of the plans next year.