The former South Tyneside social club site which served communities in the Scotch Estate for more than 45 years and in 2017 reopened with a new landlord in charge had bulldozers moved in to prepare the site for a home estate following the approval of the South Tyneside Council.
Entrepreneur Tony Singh of the Premier Leisure had sought planning permission for homes at an earlier stage, but had to put the idea on hold while the last landlord could take on the lease of the building. Premier Leisure had bought the Neon social club building some years ago, with the business closed due to a drop in the number of patronizing customers and Mr Singh stated that business at the Neon had suffered due to a drop in football.
Premier Leisure submitted plans to South Tyneside Council with details for a 23 home estate in 2018 which was later reduced to 17 by the Premier Leisure. However, the planning application was amended significantly from the original proposals which included 17 dwellings and 6 apartments submitted in May 2018 and finally hinged on 14 home estate. The location being the Neon Social Club, off Nairn Street precisely.
Premier Leisure owns not just the Neon site, but the adjacent Red Hackle pub and many other venues across South Tyneside which includes the Hedworth Hall, at Westoe, and The Maltings, near South Shields town hall. The plan for the home estate was a mix of of two-storey homes, which comprises of 12 three-bedroom dwellings, of three different types and two two-bedroom dwellings, all with private parking. Premier Leisure won permission from the council’s planning committee for the site to be reconstructed and redeveloped.
Arising Fears Due To The New Estate Plans
Keith Roberts, Bede ward councillor during the meeting had raised concerns about the health safety and working practices associated with the demolition of the Neon social club building. Also the issue of increased traffic, difficulty in parking, and access to the new home estate were other fears raised.
However, the officers of the planning council which recommended the scheme for approval, declared that there had been no objections from highway officers and also pointed out many amendments to the scheme. And such amendments include extra visitor and resident parking and specialist to work on selected properties to ensure reduced noise pollution.
Also, from the Nairn Street, a new avenue accessible by vehicles to the adjacent church car park will be created. Some homes will also be built on the car park of the Red Hackle and all will be accessed from Nairn Street. Councillors however backed the scheme for the brownfield site, following the discussion. The council was told by Coun Geraldine Kilgour to keep a “close eye” on the redevelopment of the site from the perspective of a building control.
The arranging board subsequent to investigating a report, prescribed that organizers ought to be slanted to give the recently reexamined applications. They said: “The proposition is viewed as worthy as far as its format and configuration, sway on the overall person of the space, conveniences of the neighbors, expressway wellbeing and board objective of conveying supportable turn of events.”
The area’s nearness to schools, shops and the Perth Green Community Center were featured in the plans set up for Mr Singh by Wearmouth Architectural Design. The South Tyneside Council in this way supported the proposition for the development of 14 new abodes on the site of the previous Neon Social Club in Jarrow. Albeit, the recommendations have now been given the go-ahead, however subject to conditions.
The planning report says the homes will be provided for private sale. Meanwhile, the developer is expected to pay £5,642 to the council under planning conditions for the potential impacts the scheme will have on the nature of the area which includes the Durham Coast Special Area of Conservation and Northumbria Coast Special Protection area. In the plan, the car parking to the Red Hackle Pub from Dundee Court will be retained, while construction work and deliveries will also be limited to 8am-6pm, Monday to Friday and 9am-1pm on Saturdays.
The Neon Social Club building has now been demolished but external areas including the car park still remains. With St John the Baptist Church to the south, residential properties lay to the east of the home estate site.