Member Article

Expansion of award winning development

Proposals for phase two of an award winning Tyneside housing development have been submitted for planning permission.

The New Tyne West Development Company (NTWDC) has brought forward the next stage of The Rise in Scotswood because of the popularity and success of phase one, which is now 70% completed.

Local Authority planners are expected to consider an application for a further 264 two, three and four bedroomed family homes on land to the south of the current phase, between Scotswood Road and Armstrong Road.

Design and master planning works will also be starting in parallel with the house building for a new neighbourhood centre. This will see continued consultation with the local community to help shape plans for the centre, which may include retail, commercial, health care and an assisted living facilities.

Lee McGray, Development Director said: “When this project began back in 2013, it was anticipated that the second phase would not be underway until 2018. But the popularity of the development has meant that we have brought the proposals forward.”

To date, over 250 new homes are occupied – 195 for private sale and 59 for affordable housing. Of the homes sold, 59% were bought by people living within five miles of The Rise and 84% of these were people under 40.

First time buyers account for 74% of sales while 65% of people used the government backed Help to Buy initiative to support their purchase. Quality and price were the main reasons people gave for buying.

“These are encouraging statistics,” added Lee McGray: “But they only tell part of the story. Alongside the influx of new residents, we have seen a host of community engagement initiatives which are acting as a catalyst to bring the new and existing communities together.

“Apprenticeship and training initiatives, projects with local schools, an artists in residence programme, the regeneration of open spaces such as Hodgkin Park and the creation of new ones, like The Shard, are all in place but many more community events are planned.”

Designed to kick start economic and social revival in Newcastle’s west end, The Rise is a £265 million development involving Newcastle City Council and developers Barratt Homes and Keepmoat.

The largest single site, housing led regeneration project in the north of England, it will eventually become a diverse, sustainable community of around 6,000 people living in approximately 1,800 well designed, modern, energy efficient homes – supplied by a district heating centre.

The scheme won a national Royal Town Planning Institute award for planning excellence and a regional Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors award in 2015.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Paul Dobbie .