Challenge is mounted against Burger King planning refusal
A DEVELOPER is refusing to give up on a bid to turn a disused Newcastle police station into a Burger King.
Proposals to transform the derelict West End station were dismissed by a Government inspector in January after a long-running battle over the controversial scheme, upholding Newcastle City Council’s decision to reject it in 2020.
But the lengthy saga is not yet at an end, after Hadrian Property Investments lodged a new challenge with the High Court against the Planning Inspectorate’s verdict. A preliminary court hearing is now set for May 17 to determine whether or not the case will be allowed to proceed to a full challenge, which could ultimately lead to the application being sent back for redetermination by a new inspector.
The developer’s plans would involve part of the vacant Westgate Road building demolished to make way for a drive-through Burger King. The remainder of the site would then be converted into 15 flats, shops, and a dental surgery.
Locals have been left outraged by the idea since it first emerged in 2019, complaining that it would be an “eyesore”, risk adding to childhood obesity problems in a deprived part of the city, and cause more traffic congestion.
In a ruling issued in January, planning inspector Jennifer Vyse concluded that there were “significant shortcomings” in the scheme’s design, branding the Burger King a “two-storey box”. She was also critical of the loss of privacy for residents in neighbouring Lynnwood Avenue that would result from turning the upper floors of the police station into flats.
However, she was not persuaded by arguments over potential noise nuisance or impact on road safety and traffic congestion, while also finding “no meaningful breach” of the council’s rules on health and well-being despite the concerns about the addition of another fast food outlet. Last November’s sixday inquiry heard that Newcastle has 136 takeaways per 100,000 people, “significantly more” than the average local authority, and is the 32nd most deprived council area in the country – with the West End representing four of the five most deprived wards of the city itself.
The developer’s QC, Paul Tucker, had insisted that the regeneration scheme was the “best real-world solution” available to save the prominent site from dereliction and accused Newcastle City Council of being on the “hunt for unicorns” in hoping that a different plan for the site could be developed.
But, despite acknowledging that the former police station was “in much need of improvement”, Mrs Vyse said: “I recognise, in this regard, that dismissal of these appeals can only prolong the current, unsatisfactory appearance of the land. I have taken that into account in the overall planning balance. Even so, that is not a reason to allow development that does not represent good design and which would have significant implications for the privacy of existing residents.”
The developer’s agent, Hedley Planning Services, has been contacted for a comment.