Newcastle Quayside apartment block Plot 12 approved after inquiry

Newcastle City Council had rejected the plan in a 11-1 vote against it in 2021

A controversial apartment block looks set to be built on Newcastle Quayside after the city council's rejection of the plan was overturned.

Opponents of Plot 12 claimed the 14-storey development, housing 289 flats, would block out light to nearby homes and destroy views at St Ann's Church.

A public inquiry was held in March and the government's planning inspector has overruled the previous council vote.

Newcastle City Council said it would see if the ruling could be challenged.

Planning inspector Claire Searson ruled in favour of Packaged Living and Robertson Property to develop the vacant site, which is owned by Homes England.

Fr Allan Marks, of St Ann's Church, said the block would "destroy an historic and significant setting"

Mrs Searson said she was satisfied that the block "would not appear clumsy or out of keeping along the Quayside", despite it being labelled "monolithic" and "painfully poor" by critics.

More than 300 objections were received, with opponents urging developers to build something smaller, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

Mrs Searson said there was "no justification" to deny planning permission in order to wait for an alternative design to emerge.

The inspector dismissed concerns that the new apartments would not meet minimum space standards.

While she could "appreciate the frustration" of St Ann's residents over the loss of light, she felt there were "no unacceptable effects in respect of living conditions".

Father Allan Marks, of nearby St Ann's Church, had warned the development would "destroy an historic and significant setting", but Mrs Searson decided that the harm to the Grade I-listed building was "less than substantial".

It comes amid a further planning row over proposals to build an 18-storey tower block on the vacant Malmo Quay, near Ouseburn.

A spokesperson for Newcastle City Council said: "Naturally we are very disappointed given our concerns and those of residents about the design quality and space standards of the proposed development.

"We will consider the decision to see if there are any grounds to challenge it or not."