Plans for a multi-million pound redevelopment in the heart of Newcastle’s West End, which will include new luxury apartments and a restaurant, have been submitted for approval.
The move by developers Hadrian Property Investments will see the transformation of the former Northumbria Police station site on Westgate Road as ambitious proposals, which will create dozens of jobs and pump hundreds of thousands of pounds into the local economy, are considered by Newcastle City Council’s planning department.
As part of two planning applications, the station’s existing upper floor office space will be transformed into 18 apartments with dedicated onsite car parking as part of the £2.1 m redevelopment which will provide much needed quality city living accommodation. Part of the station will also be demolished to make way for two new retail units and a dental clinic.
Plans have also been lodged in a second submission for a new £1.3m Burger King restaurant with drive-thru for the site, which could create up to 25 full and part-time jobs if the scheme gets the green light.
The station has been vacant since 2017, when it was put up for sale with a £500,000 price tag after Northumbria Police transferred its operations to its city centre base at Forth Banks.
It’s also forecast that the new scheme would create support for the employment of up to 86 people in construction and the supply chain alongside generating more than £250,000 in tax revenue.
Additional spending power from the new residents will impact positively on the local economy when residents start to move in and spend their cash on local shopping, leisure facilities and community services.
Sean Hedley, managing director of regional planning specialists Hedley Planning Services, which has offices in Hexham and Wynyard, is steering through the planning application.
He said if the development gets the green light, it will usher in a new phase in the regeneration of the west end of the city and added:
“This project will see a positive change to this important location, bringing social and economic benefits to a vacant site. It will also create a vibrant commercial centre through imaginative regeneration and new investment.
“As planners, we want to see urban regeneration of brownfield sites and the re-purposing of existing buildings to deliver a strong legacy. This one will undoubtedly see a beneficial change to this part of Newcastle.”
He also said that it was encouraging to see planning applications being considered by the local authority planning department despite the difficulties imposed on the process by COVID-19.
A planning decision is expected in November 2020.
