Dance studio flats plan backed despite objections

The building will be replaced with 12 flats

Plans to demolish a former dance studio and replace it with 12 flats have been approved despite concerns over parking and privacy.

North Tyneside Council’s planning committee unanimously backed demolishing the former Startastic dance studio and Age UK hub in Whitley Bay.

Applicant Dean Hoyland - a local resident - said the way the town was to be redeveloped was "really important to me".

The plans, initially for 16 flats, had generated more than 100 objections.

Speaking on behalf of objectors, Simon Bolam told the meeting he feared the scheme would "encourage more overdevelopment" and affect the quality of life for people living nearby.

Whitley Bay North councillor John O'Shea echoed those worries, telling the committee he had "a real concern" about "trying to cram 12 flats into a very small site" at Beach Avenue and Park Road.

Mr Hoyland said: "I'd just like to reassure the residents and the committee that I am a resident of Whitley Bay, I have been all my life, and I own three businesses in Whitley Bay.

"I haven't just come down to try and make some money, so Whitley Bay and how it is developed is really important to me."

Ahead of the meeting, a report by council planning officers concluded the scheme would not have a significant impact on privacy or parking, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.