Victory in fight to stop Ouseburn tower block

Apr 11 2009 by Adrian Pearson, The Journal

CONTROVERSIAL plans for a tower block on the banks of the Tyne have been consigned to history after regeneration chiefs on Tyneside bought the land from developers.

Development company 1NG, partly owned by Newcastle Council, has spent around £900,000 buying up land at the end of the Ouseburn Valley, Byker, to use as part of a flagship regeneration scheme.

House builder Taylor Wimpey last year secured planning permission to build a 13-storey mixture of flats and offices on the site, a move which angered many concerned about the impact of over-development in Ouseburn.

Residents and businesses have for more than a decade fought various plans which would have seen superb views of the Tyne blocked. At the centre of the fight has been the Free Trade Inn, which has built a reputation of enjoying some of the best views in the UK.

A Government planning inspector overturned Newcastle Council’s rejection of the scheme – but the new City Development Company now appears to have removed any threat of the development happening.

Jim McIntyre, head of the Newcastle Gateshead city development company, said he wants the site to feature as part of groundbreaking plans to regenerate Tyneside.

As the recession takes hold staff at the company are preparing an economic masterplan which will see public sector funds poured into sites to have them “ready to go when the recession ends”.

Mr McIntyre said: “We have acquired land in the Ouseburn area and are looking to get the infrastructure in place so that when the recession begins to end we can go to the private sector and say this is ready to go.

“I think we are in competition with other cities and we have to remember that eventually this recession will come to an end.

“In the time before that we need to ensure we have invested in these sites, spent public money on them, because we cannot afford to wait until the private sector starts investing in these sites again.”

Because the City Development Company has not yet formed its overall masterplan, staff have been unable to say just what will be built on the Ouseburn site.

City planners will be aware the site comes to them complete with planning permission attached.

Byker councillor Nick Kemp last night said the purchase meant “the council can hopefully mark up a victory for common sense”.

He added: “It is unclear as yet wether the CDC will be responsible for building on the site or commissioning and their plans have not yet been formed, but since we as a council in effect own this site now we can lay down some guidelines and say what we want and what we don’t want.

“I hope we now take a longer term view, and I would personally like to see this site limited to say three storeys, which still gives us a lot of scope to build in.”

:: Read previous stories about the Ouseburn row

New towers plan in Ouseburn area Jun 30 2008 by Adrian Pearson, The Journal

Credit crunch worry over Gateway flats Jun 26 2008 by Adrian Pearson, The Journal

New approach to developing key sites on Tyneside Mar 10 2008 by Graeme King, The Journal

Battle to save popular Tyne view is lost Jun 25 2008 by Adrian Pearson, The Journal