Homes saga set for next chapter
A CONTROVERSIAL housing estate plan for a popular green space in Newcastle’s outer west could get the go-ahead this week, despite furious opposition from locals.
The saga over the future of a field on Hillhead Road in West Denton is set to reach a conclusion, after more than two years of rancour over the proposed development.
Contractors Tolent and housing association Karbon Homes have lodged plans to build 45 affordable homes and a children’s care facility on the land, next to the West Denton Community Centre, for Newcastle City Council.
But many residents have been left outraged by the prospect of losing a green space popular with dog walkers and children – opposition that has continued despite the number of houses proposed being cut from an original 60 and two sports pitches being incorporated into the scheme.
The land was previously used as a football field but has been left unmaintained by the council in recent years and a well-used skate park on the site was also demolished by the local authority in 2019 after being deemed “irreparable”.
Ahead of the plans coming before the council’s planning committee next Friday, 33 local residents have objected to the scheme and a petition calling for the field and skate park to be restored has received more than 2,000 signatures.
Newcastle North MP Catherine McKinnell told the council that she was “concerned that any development will see this valuable green space removed”.
In an objection letter sent to city planners, she said: “Constituents in the Outer West are understandably concerned with the proposed development which would see a further much needed ‘green lung’ built on in the Outer West, given its proximity to both the A1 and the A69 and the very busy junction between them.”
Denton and Westerhope councillor Tracey Mitchell, of the Newcastle Independents party, accused the council of pressing ahead with the project “without bothering to listen to what the community thinks or wants”, despite a promise from council leader Nick Forbes in February 2020 that it would be put on hold until meaningful consultation had been undertaken.
One local opposed to the scheme warned the council that the field had been a “godsend” during the Covid pandemic as a place for people to exercise and socialise.
Another objector added: “The council seem to be trying their best to discourage use of this formerly well-used land by neglecting it. Despite this it does continue to be used by dog walkers and people keeping fit. It is one of the few green fields which are open and accessible to all.”
Despite the concerns, civic centre planners have recommended that councillors approve the development next week, concluding that worries over the loss of open space were “adequately addressed either through on-site provision or through financial contributions to allow enhancements to other typologies of open space and playing pitches in the near vicinity”.
In a report to the planning committee, officers also added that the estate “would not unacceptably impact on the highway network” after worries over an increase in traffic and air pollution.
Tolent’s planning application claims that the field “is generally unmaintained, offering limited recreational value” and that having two cared-for football pitches there instead will “far exceed the existing quality of open space provided”.
Karbon Homes has described the final version of the plans for the site as a “sensible compromise” after the local backlash.