Proposals to develop 269 apartments for private rent on Gateshead Quayside have won unanimous approval from the borough’s planning committee.
High Street Residential – part of the High Street Group of Companies and the developer behind Hadrian’s Tower in Newcastle – will transform the former Brett Oils Depot into a range of one and two bedroomed apartments, with two duplexes and ground floor commercial and office space.
Each property in the £35 million development will be future proofed through the use of the latest technology and apps to support residents’ busy lifestyles and will offer a riverside address only a short walk from all the quayside attractions on both sides of the Tyne.
There will be a significant amount of public realm enhancement that will allow access for residents and visitors to the southern bank of the Tyne. Work on the development is expected to start with enabling and demolition early in 2020 with a construction start targeted for the second quarter of the year.
Gary Forrest Chairman of the High Street Group of Companies said: “It is great to see that the council is so much in favour of our proposals. Developments like this will help to meet the demand for housing from young professionals working on Tyneside.
“People are increasingly choosing to rent. Already 19% of people do so and that figure is expected to rise rapidly over the next 20 to 30 years. We are meeting this demand, by delivering high quality living spaces in town and city centres, with communal relaxation and leisure facilities, where people can meet, form friendships and build new communities.”
Faith Folley, Director with Planning Consultants DPP, which has supported High Street Residential with the project, added: “Brett Wharf will create an exciting new and iconic waterfront development, which will transform this part of the Gateshead Quayside, supporting the ongoing regeneration and transformation of the skyline along the River Tyne and establishing a vibrant new place to live and work. It has been a pleasure to work with the High Street team.”
The developer’s portfolio of apartments for private rent in the North East also includes the 27 storey, 83m Hadrian’s Tower – Newcastle’s tallest building – which has reached its full height, with most of the 161 apartments sold a year from completion. In addition, there are proposals for around 194 more on a plot at Pottery Lane, also close to the river in Newcastle.
Nationally, High Street Residential is constructing or preparing to build eight other PRS developments in Birmingham (four), Manchester, Milton Keynes, Salford and Warrington.
In total these projects would deliver around 2,700 apartments with a gross development value of £544 million.
