Gateshead Orthodox Jewish housing estate plan approved

The homes have been designed to meet the specific cultural requirements of the Orthodox Jewish community

Plans to build an Orthodox Jewish housing estate on a former bus depot have been approved.

The Jewish Community Council Of Gateshead has been granted permission to build 26 family homes at the former Go-Ahead depot on Sunderland Road.

Objectors to Gateshead Council said the homes should be open to all people, but the High Court has previously said such schemes do not breach equality laws.

The site has been vacant since the bus depot was demolished in 2014.

The designs were unanimously approved by Gateshead Council's planning committee.

Four people objected to the proposals - with one saying the area "is meant to be residential for all people" not just one group.

Judges previously said such exclusive estates were legal because Orthodox Jews had different needs that required them to live close to each other, while also noting other factors including anti-Semitism that put the community at a disadvantage, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

Planning officers said the development would offer "high quality" family housing on a troublesome site that has issues with historic mining activities, land contamination, and underground Metro infrastructure.

The three-storey four-bedroom houses have been designed to meet the specific cultural requirements of the Orthodox Jewish community, including an "interconnected kitchen", and dining and living spaces with study facilities.