Plans to build Newcastle's tallest building submitted

The building would become the tallest in Newcastle, according to the plans

Plans for Newcastle's tallest building have been submitted, despite it being 196ft (60m) higher than a plot allows.

The city council has received a proposal for a 28-storey apartment block and a smaller 18-storey building on plot 9b on the Helix development.

The main structure would stand at 293ft (89.5m) - taller than the 269ft (82m) Hadrian's Tower, completed in 2020.

Developers said the size was necessary to make it "financially viable".

The blueprints reveal the main structure would comprise of 192 flats, a rooftop lounge and sky garden for residents on the site of the former Scottish and Newcastle Brewery, which is being redeveloped into housing and office space.

The smaller structure, which would be built alongside, would accommodate a further 128 flats and a ground floor café. They have both been designed by Ryder Architecture.

The proposed main building would feature a sky garden for residents

However, the main structure exceeds the maximum height designated for the plot in the Helix development's master plan, reported the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Developer Legal and General (L&G) said the size of the project was required to make it viable, and the benefits of the site significantly outweighed any harm to the area.

It said the project "constitutes a high-quality, landmark new development" which would "provide a significant boost to the housing mix and provision within the city centre whilst enabling a significant boost to the local economy".

In its application, L&G said the buildings would become a "prominent feature in the cityscape" and would "further enhance Newcastle's reputation as a world class place to live".

The 24-acre former brewery site is currently being redeveloped to include hundreds of new homes, offices and research space and is expected to create more than 4,000 jobs.

It comes as the Gainford Group is expected to submit plans for a 37-storey building on the site of the former Premier Inn on New Bridge Street.

The Chester-le-Street based company previously said the £50m project would create about 500 jobs and described the plans as "stunning".

Newcastle City Council said it was not "unusual" for buildings to exceed the height set out in a master plan, but any decision would be assessed against local and national planning policies.

"Developers can submit applications that do not always comply with the framework," a council spokesperson said.

"It is up to them to justify why that is the case - there is nothing unusual in that in planning."

The council will decide on the plans later.

Additional reporting by Daniel Holland