Press Release
For immediate release
Date of Release: 2.4.2014
Contact: Melanie Todd
From the concerned petitioners
Over 150 sign petition against riverside construction at South Shields.
Petition against “anti-social and environmentally hazardous” development at River Drive, South Shields.
A petition signed by over 150 residents and visitors to the area is to be delivered to the Chief Executive of South Tyneside Council at Town Hall offices this Thursday (3.4.2014).
The petition concerns the closure of an historic shipyard at Redheads Landing, Commercial Road, and its re-siting in new sheds downstream and amongst residential riverside properties at River Drive, South Shields.
Complaints to the Council have been made by numerous local residents over the last six months against the construction in close proximity to residential and retirement homes of a shipyard shed breaching size restrictions and environmental conditions for planning consent dating back to 1996. Complaints have also been formally registered against a pre-planning proposal from the developers, UK Docks, to build another two sheds and to install a 70 ton crane onto the site in order to carry out heavy lifting, shot-blasting, and ship repair commissions.
Local concern has focused on alleged failures by South Tyneside Council Planning and Environmental Services to enforce planning law under their mandatory statutory obligations.
The petitioners’ protest is against:
✦ A lack of relevant information from STMBC
✦ A lack of public consultation on the unannounced construction
✦ A lack of research and impact surveys
✦ Alleged failures by STMBC in its performance of mandatory statutory obligations to enforce planning law
✦ Alleged breach of planning law by the developers, UK Docks, in failing to abide by planning permission conditions and failing to build to approved plans.
The petitioners have asked that the Council observe its own Development Framework Core Strategy Objectives:
“To protect and enhance the boroughs coastline and water frontage; to ensure that the individual and cumulative effects of development do not breach noise, hazardous substances or pollution limits; to increase public involvement in decision making and civic activity”.
STMBC Planning Manager Gordon Atkinson recently wrote to residents conceding that: “the new structure is not being constructed in accordance with the approved plans, and that conditions of the 1996 permission have not been complied with” (20.3.2014).
Local resident Melanie Todd added: “The non-compliant practices of the developers appear to have fallen outside their own land usage covenants. Residents wish to live in peace and harmony with appropriate light industry as we have for many years, supporting the cultural heritage and natural environment of the area for the benefit of residents and visitors. We believe this new development and plans for heavy industrial use at Tyne Slipway, next to residential and retirement property, threaten to disrupt this”.
For further information, please see the petitioners’ website at:
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For more information, contact Melanie Todd at:
melanietodd@me.com
2.4.2014
As a resident of Greens Place, and a tenant of a grade II listed building, I am concerned about the structure erected at Harbour View. Not only is it unsightly, but I am also concerned about the activity that will be going on in and around it. As an asthmatic, can the council assure me that the air-borne debris and other materials will not have a detrimental effect on my health? I have lived next to the Port of Tyne and had to move because of the material coming from the biomass storage unit. I was admitted to hospital overnight and have had treatment by paramedics for severe asthma attacks twice during my time at my previous property. I believe this was due to material in the air being breathed in. There is already a factory churning out some and chemicals at the riverside. There is also the issue of noise and disruption late at night and early in the morning. I don’t believe that any of the residents of Greens Place are at all happy with this unit, or the way that it had been erected. It is normal for the council to have a ‘public consultation’ i.e. to ‘ask’ the public then just go ahead with whatever plans they like. How about fixing our road instead? Have you seen it? Come and have a look. You can see the tenth level of hell.
I am involving myself with this petition as a resident, and on behalf of the people who care about our area, not that I hold out much hope of any resolution. You don’t really care about people like us, the little people at the bottom who pay their taxes and muddle along trying to live in peace and quiet, the people who you ask to vote for you then do the exact opposite of what you say after election time.