Council rejects student flats plan for the second time. Fears of parking chaos in Newcastle cited as key reason.
The flats should have opened for students already. The Jubilee Baths used to be on that site, but the opening date was delayed. IPG asked for a change to the rules, which stated only students could live there.
IPG wanted short-term rentals for non-students, with the building becoming student-only again in September. IPG first asked for 68 flats, but the council said no to that idea. They reduced their request to 40 flats.
The planning group still said no again and disagreed with their officer’s advice. They still think parking will be a big issue, as the building only has 19 parking spots. Councillors believe 40 flats will cause overflow.
Officers said no highway safety issues existed, arguing that forty non-student flats create less lack of parking compared to 273 student flats. The committee did not agree at all with this point.
Councillor Andy Fear does not think just 40 cars are involved, suggesting people staying longer might own multiple vehicles. He thinks the parking issue will come back and considers the issue a developer convenience, as they failed to finish in time.
Councillor John Williams discussed resident and local councillors’ concerns about parking. He believes permission increases car numbers, exacerbating a borough-wide problem, especially downtown.
Deakin’s Yard work started eight years ago, but the project stopped when the first developer ran out of funds. IPG took over in 2023 and the building is now almost complete and ready.