Â鶹ÊÓƵ

Plans for a vibrant riverside quarter in South Tyneside have taken a major step forward.

Â鶹ÊÓƵ's Planning Committee has given the go-ahead for residential development at Holborn, South Shields.

Permission was granted for 48 family homes plus reprovision of a play park on Phase 1 of the regeneration, with  outline planning permission also granted for Phases 2 and 3 of the multi-million-pound development, which will comprise of around a further 300 homes, with landscaping.

Keepmoat Homes, working in partnership with Cussins, will deliver the one to four-bedroomed houses and apartments. To address local need, 15% of these will be affordable homes, delivered in partnership with the Bernicia Housing Group.

It will herald the start of the transformation of former brownfield land into a thriving location for living, working and entertainment.

Cllr Tracey Dixon, Leader of Â鶹ÊÓƵ, said: "I'm delighted that these plans have been approved and I am excited that our ambitious vision for this area is coming together after years of careful planning and preparation.

"This will ultimately see the transformation of this former industrial land, which has been largely derelict for many years, into somewhere people will be proud to call home.

"In time, this whole area will become a vibrant location for residents and visitors. It will have a culture and entertainment offer as well as a hotel, while the dockland's industrial heritage is retained.

"We're focused on increasing the residential population in and around the town centre - this means more footfall, more people using local businesses and services, supporting the local economy and helping to build a sustainable future.

"It will also further strengthen the connection between the riverside and town centre, capitalising on South Shields' strengths as a riverside and coastal location with a wonderful blend of cultural, heritage and leisure assets."

The development will create or safeguard around 1,500 construction jobs, and as part of their commitment to create a sustainable community, the developers have also pledged to support the local area and help generate opportunities in training and employment through apprenticeships and work placements, which will be delivered throughout the lifetime of the project. The proposed adjacent office development is also predicted to create a further 1,550 new jobs in the area.   

Keepmoat Homes' Land and Partnerships Director Ian Prescott said: " We are delighted to be partnering the Council and Cussins Homes on the delivery of this exciting but very challenging project.

"On completion, over 1,000 new residents will be living just a few minutes walk from the town centre retail and leisure businesses, so the scheme will bring a welcome boost to the revitalisation of town centre post Covid.

"The development incorporates a new public walkway along the river frontage and the proposed landscaping and tree planting that will be installed after the Council has remediated the former docks, will generate a 60% biodiversity net gain across the scheme as a whole, well above the government's 10% minimum target figure for new developments."

Jabin Cussins, Chief Executive of Cussins Homes, added: "It is great that Â鶹ÊÓƵ's Planning Committee has given the green light to the Holborn riverside scheme.

"Cussins and Keepmoat have worked closely in partnership with the Council to achieve our shared ambitious vision for Holborn. To do justice to this unique and technically very complex site, architectural quality and our approach towards good design has been key.

"Award winning north east architects IDPartnership-Northern really understand the dockland heritage, the importance of providing quality landscaped areas and the need to ensure that the scheme creates a new mixed and balanced community.

"Our partners Bernicia Housing Group have been involved from the outset and will be offering very high quality affordable homes providing a significant boost towards satisfying local housing needs."

In September, the project secured £1.85m from the government Brownfield Land Release Fund to help prepare the nine-hectare site for development.

Earlier this year, planning permission was granted for enabling works  to the wider site, which will include installing a new quay edge wall, re-grading of the site, decontamination of the ground and the raising of the former dry docks to overcome serious flooding issues. Three of the docks will be restored, preserving the area's industrial heritage.

The site, which is currently split level, will be reprofiled to create a gentle slope from Commercial Road to the Tyne, making it more suitable for development.

The area is already home to award-winning schemes such as Harton Quays Park, business centre One Trinity Green and Trinity South residential development.

The scheme has also secured £9.4million from the North East Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) for the delivery of a future phase of office accommodation on Commercial Road.