Councillors are jeered as homes plan is approved
COUNCILLORS were jeered from the public gallery after plans for almost 1,000 houses in North Tyneside were approved.
The council’s planning committee approved by majority applications from Bellway Homes, Banks Property and Northumberland Estates to construct nearly 1,000 homes on Killingworth Moor.
The council’s ‘masterplan’ for the site, which anticipates 2,000 homes in total, has divided local opinion on issues ranging from environmental considerations, infrastructure qualms and traffic consequences since it was formulated in 2017.
The two applications considered last week amassed a total of 287 objections on the council’s online planning portal.
However councillors, despite heartfelt pleas from locals and opposing organisations, voted by majority in favour of developments at a planning meeting, prompting furious cries of “disgrace” from the public gallery.
On hearing the committee’s decision, one member of the public loudly asked the panel “How do you sleep at night?”
Killingworth campaigner and resident of 32 years Alan Batey, who spoke against the plans, said: “Housing developments at Wallsend join up with Benton and Westmoor, developments at Wideopen join Gosforth Park, West Allotment is now surrounded, New York and Murton now join Whitley Bay.
“Please, I implore you not to do the same to our beautiful moor, enjoyed by residents of Killingworth, Backworth, Forest Hall and Holystone.
“We need this green space not only for ourselves but for the health and wellbeing of our children and future generations.”
While the schemes were ultimately permitted, councillors did raise questions about the amount of affordable housing on both applications.
Originally, the ‘masterplan’ was intended to provide 25% affordable housing, but this has since been reduced.
Bellway and Banks Property’s proposal now offers no officially-designated ‘affordable housing’ following an independent financial assessment which deemed the project financially “unviable” if such homes were included. However, the firm has applied for grant funding from Homes England to help deliver 15% of homes as affordable.
Northumberland Estates has said it can offer up to 10% for affordable homes if an agreement is reached between the council and the firm on works to the A19 junction, which forms part of the application.
In response to the permitted application, Jamilah Hassan, community relations manager at The Banks Group, says: “Having had a recommendation for approval from North Tyneside Council’s expert planning officers for the joint planning application put forward by Banks Property and Bellway, we are very pleased that the members of the council’s planning committee have resolved to approve the application today.
“Killingworth Moor was allocated in the 2017 North Tyneside Local Plan Consultation as a key strategic site for meeting the borough’s housing provision needs.
“As well as helping to do this by providing more people with the chance to live in the places that they wish to be, the Killingworth Moor South scheme will also offer the opportunity for substantial new community facilities to be created that will make a real, long-term difference to the amenities available to residents.
“We will continue to ensure that local communities are kept fully up-to-date as work progresses and look forward to seeing work start on site as soon as possible.”