Newcastle Quayside: High Court hearing into flats plan opens

The plan for Plot 12 on Newcastle Quayside has been criticised for being "monolithic"

Council bosses were "at a loss" to explain why a controversial plan for flats was approved by a planning inspector, the High Court has heard.

Newcastle City Council refused permission for the 14-storey block at Plot 12 on the Quayside in 2021.

But planning inspector Claire Searson overturned that refusal in May after a week-long inquiry.

The High Court has launched a statutory review of the planning inspector's decision at the council's request.

'Monolithic'

It had been claimed that the £40m vision from Packaged Living and Robertson Property to develop the Homes England-owned riverside site, which has lain vacant for decades, would "devastate living conditions" for residents next door and "decimate" views to and from the historic St Ann's Church, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

Critics called it "monolithic" but Ms Searson said there was "no justification" to deny planning permission in order to wait for an alternative design to come forward on what is "an exceptionally difficult site to develop" - despite the designs not being "exceptional".

Anjoli Foster, representing the council, told Mr Justice Holgate that local authority chiefs were "at a loss" to understand how the inspector reached her conclusion.

She argued that Mrs Searson gave undue weight to the fact that the land is in public ownership, that the fact of Homes England's involvement did not mean the scheme was fully-funded, and the viability of the project was not a material issue.

Ms Foster added that the inspector failed to pay sufficient attention to the impact on St Ann's Church and concerns raised by Historic England.

'Nothing unlawful'

The Labour-run council's barrister also criticised Mrs Searson's decision to set aside complaints that some future residents of the building would be forced to live in flats that do not meet required minimum space standards.

Victoria Hutton, representing Housing Secretary Simon Clarke, said there was "nothing unlawful" about the inspector's decision and that the question of whether the scheme can be delivered was never challenged by the city council during the planning inquiry in March.

Ms Hutton added that the inspector's disagreement with Historic England was "clearly explained" and that there was no objective scale against which to judge the level of harm caused by a development, rather it was left to the discretion of the decision-maker.

The hearing continues.