A £5m overhaul of an abandoned Newcastle police station has finally been approved.
After years of wrangling over the future of the former station on Westgate Road, which have seen controversial plans to open a Burger King come and go, city councillors have at last signed off on a vision to transform the plot. The redesigned proposals will see part of the vacant building converted into 15 apartments, while a drive-thru restaurant or café is still included – but it will not be occupied by Burger King, McDonalds, or any other hot food operator.
Three shops also feature in the redevelopment scheme, which will involve the western portion of the empty police station being demolished. There has been a protracted saga over the site’s future, going back to 2019. Initial redevelopment plans were rejected by Newcastle City Council and were then subject to a public inquiry, after an appeal by developers Hadrian Property, where an inspector upheld the local authority’s verdict.
Neighbours had been furiously opposed to the idea of another fast food joint opening in a deprived part of Newcastle with high obesity levels. But, after the council’s planning committee unanimously backed the revised plans on Friday morning, the West End Residents Association said it was “super happy” with how the long-running dispute had at last been resolved.
After the developer agreed to a condition barring any hot food takeaway operator from becoming the tenant of the drive-thru restaurant, a spokesperson for the residents’ group told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that the outcome was a “win-win” for all parties. They added: “With the changes that have been made, this will be a massive positive for the area. We are looking forward to seeing some much-needed investment and regeneration in this part of the city.”
At Friday’s committee meeting, Lemington ward councillor Barry Phillipson asked what the point of a drive-thru was if it could not be a hot food takeaway. Council officers replied that it could still be used to serve drinks – potentially meaning that a coffee shop could move in, though no tenant has been confirmed yet.
Coun George Pattison called the redesigned scheme a “vast improvement” on the original plans, while committee chair Marion Williams thanked locals for their work in finding an acceptable way to bring the disused site back to life.
Sean Hedley, managing director of Hexham planning specialist Hedley Planning Services, added: “We have worked collaboratively with the local planning authority to ensure a high-quality design that will transform the west end of Newcastle. We very much look forward to redevelopment; bringing back to life an important site that will deliver social and economic benefits to the community through imaginative regeneration and fresh investment.
“As planners, we want to see urban regeneration of brownfield sites and the repurposing of existing buildings to deliver a strong legacy. This one undoubtedly heralds major changes to this part of the city.”
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