Packed Church to Save Pub
| Published: 21st August 2008 21:04 |
There was standing room only at St Aidan's Church yesterday (Thursday) as concerned Parklands residents met to discuss how to save their pub, The Royal George. Over 200 people from Brunton Park and surrounding areas packed into the church to discuss the future of the site; there is currently an application with Newcastle Council to build a 46 bedroom care home on the present site of the Royal George, at the heart of the Brunton Park estate.
Local resident Eric Robson chaired the meeting which the three local councillors (John Shipley, Diane Packman and David Down) and North Gosforth Parish Council members attended. Also invited, but not attending were representatives from the Royal Bank of Scotland (who owned the land), Scottish and Newcastle Breweries (who managed the pub for RBS) and the Newcastle Chronicle. The senior planner from the Council was unable to attend due to family illness.
Eric Robson outlined the current situation;
the land with the pub on has been sold by the Royal Bank of Scotland for redevelopment pending planning permission
26th August is the deadline for letters of objection to be received by Newcastle Council
the most effective way of objecting is by writing to the Council
Councillor John Shipley said he had received over 180 letters or e-mails of objection so far, and 1 of support, and gave an insight into the planning process, and on what basis objections should be made. He also made the following points;
A decision will be made on Friday 12th September at a meeting open to the public
By preventing this development, residents are not saving the pub. Other offers to RBS may be made (indeed it is believed that a supermarket made an offer for the land), and other proposals may be put before the Council.
The current pub can be demolished without planning permission, although it is unlikely the land owners will do this. Planning permission is only required for a new building.
Residents were given the opportunity to ask questions and air their views.
Click here for the minutes of the meeting
How to Object
Objections based on the following points will carry most weight;
The size and design of the proposed building.
The loss of the amenity to the community.
Proximity to current housing - the new development is a lot larger than the pub and some residents may find the new building intrusive, being a few metres away from their homes.
Road safety. Parking for 13 cars is deemed appropriate for the 46 bedroom home, but objections should be made on the basis that increased traffic will compromise the safety of pedestrians.
The Royal George is defined as being part of the "local centre" and any building taking its place must increase viability for the centre (ie increase trade to local shops, post office etc).
The proposed development comes into conflict with the Council's own Unitary Development Plan (UDP)
Write to Louise Hill, Planning & Transportation Division, Civic Centre, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 8PD (or email louise.hill@newcastle.gov.uk) to voice your objections. The final date for objections to be lodged has been extended to Tuesday 26th August.
What do you think?
You will need to sign in to post a comment to this article. if you do not have an AboutMyArea account, you can join now for free.
