Quayside plans revised again after complaints

PfP-igloo has had plans for development at the mouth of Ouseburn since 2021

Plans for a riverside development, which originally attracted thousands of complaints, have been revised again.

A proposed 223ft tower at Malmo Quay, at the mouth of the Ouseburn on the River Tyne in Newcastle, saw a huge backlash from residents and businesses in 2022 with developer PfP-igloo later reducing it to a 10-storey construction.

That plan remains, but the company has now submitted revised plans for flats at neighbouring Spillers Quay capped at four storeys, rather than the eight storeys previously planned.

Concerned manager of the nearby Free Trade Inn Mick Potts said the scheme was not as "shocking" as the original tower, but it was "certainly not without issues".

The pub boss raised fears the 10-storey Malmo complex would still be "by far" the tallest building at that part of the quayside.

In a newsletter, Mr Potts also said the influx of more new flats would put extra pressure on an area "already under immense strain in regards to parking".

'Vast potential'

In 2022, the city council received more than 2,000 objections to the original 18-storey plan on Malmo Quay, so the size was reduced.

PfP igloo said it asked Newcastle City Council to "put a hold" on its planning application while it worked again with architects.

The latest plans for Malmo Quay remain largely unchanged, with the main addition being an extra staircase for the apartment block.

But, at Spillers Quay, up to 80 flats are proposed in a set of buildings now capped at four storeys tall.

Development director Alec Hamlin described the Malmo Quay site as "a complex location to develop, but one with vast potential".

He told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that the firm had been working with the city council on various technical aspects of the scheme and working "to ensure that the application complies with any regulatory changes that have come into force" since it was first put forward.

While the latest deadline for public comments on the application was meant to be Thursday, it is understood the council will extend it once a website issue is resolved.