Brownfield sites given £12m boost
The North of Tyne Combined Authority has approved the investment package across five developments, enabling 640 homes.
The investment is part of a package of funding from the region’s devolution deal that will see a new combined authority formed in May, covering seven council areas.
Ahead of the formation of the new authority, NTCA is acting as the accountable body for the schemes.
The funding will be used to kickstart construction in Gateshead, Newcastle, North Tyneside, and South Tyneside.
Developments will be a mixture of affordable, social housing and private rented homes which could leverage up to £80m of private investment in the region.
The £12m investment will enable groundworks to start at five sites across the region to decontaminate and clean the land, put in place drainage systems, divert gas mains and carry out other technical and challenging investigations, so construction of new homes can start later in 2024.
The pipeline of projects being agreed includes:
- £5.2m to unlock 370 new homes in Claspers Village and Chandless, Gateshead.
- £3m to unlock 146 green homes in Benwell Dene, Newcastle.
- £1.9m to unlock 57 green homes at Kelly’s Yard, South Tyneside.
- £1.4m to unlock 67 affordable and green new homes in Wallsend and Longbenton, North Tyneside.
Homes at Kelly’s Yard, Benwell Dene and Wallsend and Longbenton will all be fully fitted with air source heat pumps and solar panels, producing up to 30% less carbon emissions and helping residents to benefit from cheaper bills; paving the way for the North East to reach its net-zero goals by 2030.
Mayor Jamie Driscoll said: “We’ve got a great track record delivering for people in the North of Tyne. We’ve already helped build over 2,000 new homes, with eco and affordable housing. Creating new council houses, reducing people’s bills and protecting our green belt land. We’re ahead of schedule on our housebuilding target.
“This investment helps to continue that work and kick-start new projects across the North East. It unlocks good jobs and apprenticeships for local people, will bring money into the region from private companies and create over 600 new homes.”
This work is part of a £49m Brownfield Housing Fund which will see South Tyneside, Gateshead, Sunderland and County Durham benefiting from more funding and powers for housing and land development alongside other schemes, over the next four years.
£32m has been committed to date, recycling and reusing brownfield land sites and unlocking over 2,000 homes in the North of Tyne.
Full details of the schemes:
Clasper Village, Gateshead
250 homes, 38 affordable, on the River Tyne, adjacent to the Redheugh Bridge.
- 12 x two-bed terraces
- 37 x two-bed semi-detached
- 75 x three-bed semi-detached
- 63 x three-bed detached
- 63 x four- bed detached
Chandless, Gateshead
120 homes in Gateshead Metropolitan Centre, between Sunderland Road and the Highway.
Benwell Dene, Newcastle
146 build-to-rent homes fitted with fitted with solar panels and air source heat pumps.
- 119 two-to-four bed family homes
- 27 apartments
Kelly’s Yard, South Tyneside
57 new homes fitted with fitted with solar panels, air source heat pumps and electric vehicle charging points.
- 12x one-bed apartments
- 16x two-bed apartments
- 2x four-bed houses
- 27x five-bed houses
- 7,600 sq ft of ancillary commercial, split equally between a new convenience store and nursery.
Wallsend and Longbenton, North Tyneside
100% affordable homes, fitted with solar panels and air source heat pumps.
67 homes across three locations – Parkside House, Former Rose Hill Social Club and the Church of St Peter and St Paul.
All of them will be available for social rent as follows:
- 14 x one and two-bed apartments.
- 15 x two-bed houses; and,
- 38 x three-bed houses.