About the Local Plan

We are currently developing a new Local Plan for South Tyneside.

This is an important document as it will set out how we will meet the area's future social, economic and environmental needs.

It will be used to assess all planning applications and development proposals. 

These pages explain more about what our emerging Local Plan is and provides answers to some of the key questions you may have.

We have also organised some information sessions where you can find out more.

Have your say

We would like to hear your views on the new draft version of the Local Plan.

Consultation takes place Monday 20 June to Sunday 14 August 2022.

Find out more: Have your say on the Local Plan

Full background documents on the Local Plan can be viewed at Local Plan documents, assessments and evidence.

Copies of the Local Plan and Policy Map are also available at South Shields Town Hall and Jarrow Town Hall receptions.

A Local Plan:

• sets out the policies for the sustainable use of land and buildings
• lays the foundations for regeneration and economic growth
• guides decisions about individual developments and planning applications

The aims of the Local Plan are to:

• build a stronger local economy
• support the regeneration of the area
• meet the need for new homes
• tackle climate change
• deliver an environmentally sustainable borough
• promote positive healthy choices 

Local Plans are a legal requirement.

If we don't produce a Local Plan, we will have no control over the development that is carried out in South Tyneside.

This may result in unsustainable, unplanned and piecemeal developments across the borough, which do not have the necessary infrastructure in place to support them.

Without an up-to-date plan, the government may decide to intervene and take over the writing of the Local Plan.

South Tyneside's existing plan

The South Tyneside Local Development Framework (LDF) is the current Development Plan document for the borough.

However, these documents are out of date, and do not reflect the government's National Planning Policy Framework.

A new Local Plan is needed to replace the LDF.

Assessments and evidence

A huge amount of work has been carried out to prepare for the Local Plan, with lots of evidence gathered.

This has included assessments of our growth needs, including:

• employment floorspace
• retail capacity
• future housing requirements

We have also carefully studied evidence on Strategic Flood Risk and utilities.

Local planning documents, assessments and evidence

South Tyneside's future needs

South Tyneside needs to provide over 5700 new homes by 2039. 

We must also meet our need for land for employment opportunities. 

Any future growth will also need supporting infrastructure, such as:

• school places,
• access to services,
• green spaces, and
• road network capacity. 

Why a 15-year plan has been chosen

The Local Plan must cover a minimum of 15 years. 

The proposed period of 2021 to 2039 meets this requirement, as the Council expects the plan to be adopted in late 2024.

The plan period will allow the Council to plan effectively to meet the borough's long-term development needs.

The Local Plan is central to meeting the current and future needs of all members of our community:   

Homes

Policies within the Local Plan seek to deliver new affordable homes across South Tyneside.

Jobs

We want to support new jobs and businesses, so South Tyneside is an attractive place to work and invest in.  

Young people

We want to make sure young people have access to affordable housing and skilled jobs within the borough.

Supporting an ageing population

We also want to make sure we meet the needs of an ageing population, through delivering:

• new easy access homes,
• sheltered / supported housing, and
• wheelchair accessible homes. 

Health and wellbeing

The Local Plan supports policies which seek to improve the health and wellbeing of its residents, by delivering high quality, accessible and safe environments.   

Community facilities

The Local Plan will also help in our aim to provide excellent community facilities, all of which will support thriving communities.

See more about how we are considering infrastructure needs as part of our work on the Local Plan.

Government has made it clear through their National Planning Policy Framework that they are committed to securing economic growth.

The planning system is central to delivering this growth. 

South Tyneside has an increasing population. The Council recognises the benefits of growth, if this is supported by infrastructure, such as new roads, schools and health facilities.

The Local Plan must deliver our strategic priorities for housing, jobs, retail and leisure, through planned sustainable development, which also addresses the needs of the natural environment and our communities. 

At least 321 new homes will be needed each year in South Tyneside. 

This number is based on:

• how the population is expected to grow
• how the number of households is expected to grow
• how jobs are expected to grow
• if there has previously been a lack of new housing
• if more homes are needed in certain areas, because average house prices are not affordable for people who are on an average wage

How housing targets are estimated

Central government sets the process that councils must follow when they estimate housing targets for their Local Plan.

The Council has to use this formula to work out the minimum number of homes that should be planned for.

We've also had to estimate household growth based on 2014 data.

This is a requirement by central government. They feel that more recent data does not accurately reflect the true number of households, as households have been restricted due to the lack of available housing.

Types of housing

We also need to make sure we have a mix of new housing built in South Tyneside.

This will be a challenge, but we need to make sure there are homes in the area that are especially:

• accessible and adaptable to meet the needs of our ageing population and those with a disability
• affordable particularly for our young people and local families

The Local Plan sets out policies that aim to achieve this.

For example, we want to keep our young people and local families here. Developers will now have to set aside homes in their plans that are both affordable and suitable.

The Local Plan must meet our need for economic development.

Land has been allocated for economic development. This will:

• allow more new businesses to move here
• make sure existing businesses have the space to grow

The amount of land set aside for this reflects South Tyneside's strong past economic performance, which is predicted to continue to grow in the future.

To support our plans, an Employment Land Review was carried out in 2019. An independent Local Economic Assessment has also been undertaken.

Development of the green belt

Urban, and previously used land (commonly known as brownfield land), will always be prioritised when looking at places for development.

Sometimes however this is not possible.

For example, in South Tyneside the minimum number of new homes set by the government is higher than the amount of urban and brownfield land that is actually available.

Therefore, the draft Local Plan does propose that some green belt land is used for development, potentially for new homes or employment opportunities.

The use of green belt land will only happen when there are no other suitable urban and brownfield development options.

If green belt land is released for development the Council must provide full evidence and justify the exceptional circumstances when this is the case. This is a requirement of the National Planning Policy Framework (2021).

The total area of green belt land in the borough is 2,344 hectares. Of this, the new Local Plan proposes 158 hectares could potentially be used. This does not mean that all this land will be developed, for example some will be kept as open green space.

The Local Plan also sets out how it proposes to protect some of the green belt for the future.

It is also worth noting that any agricultural land identified for development is not the best quality land for agriculture.

Use of urban land

The Council has carried out detailed assessments of potential sites within the urban area and tried to maximise their capacity for new development.

This has included:

• a detailed assessment for new homes through a Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment 
• a review of land allocated to employment through an Employment Land Technical Paper
• site-specific sustainability appraisals for different housing options
• looking at whether plans for homes and employment can be delivered through the regeneration plans for South Shields Town Centre or Hebburn Town Centre
• reviewing density assumptions that have been used when looking at sites in our built up areas

Use of brownfield land

A brownfield site is an area that has been built on before and tends to be disused or derelict land.

The Council tries to prioritise using this type of land for new developments. For example, more than 2,600 homes are planned for brownfield land.

However, not all brownfield land in the borough is suitable or available for development, which may mean that green belt land needs to be used.

Some brownfield sites are in unsuitable locations for residential development. For example, the site could be in the middle of an industrial estate, or the site may be privately owned and there is no guarantee that the owner intends to sell or develop the site.

The Council are required by government to be able to provide, with a high degree of certainty, enough housing for the first 5 years of the Local Plan.

Many brownfield sites would unfortunately not be available within this time frame. This is because infrastructure needs to be put in place, or the land needs to be decontaminated.

A Site Selections Paper has been produced which identifies different sites and describes their suitability for development.  

Protecting our natural environment

The protection and enhancement of the environment is one of the key objectives of the Local Plan.

If a proposed development could negatively impact the environment, extensive mitigation measures must be put in place.

We have a legal duty to protect our most valuable and sensitive environmental assets.

These will continue to be protected through existing protected areas, such as Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSIs) and Local Wildlife Sites.

Enhancing our natural environment

The Local Plan will also provide us with opportunities to further improve our natural environment and green space.

For example, it includes policies which aim to deliver a minimum 10% biodiversity net gain for all developments within South Tyneside. Developers will need to make sure this happens.

It also identifies a new Area of High Landscape Value along our coastline. This provides additional protection against inappropriate development in this area. 

Trees and hedges

Trees, woodland and hedgerows are an essential part of our environment.

They provide a habitat for wildlife, enhance our natural landscape, help to reduce flood risk, and offer space for residents and visitors to enjoy the natural world. They can also help with reducing the impact of climate change.

The Local Plan sets out to protect trees and hedges as much as possible from development. If they need to be removed, new planting should take place to reduce the impact on the environment.

South Tyneside Council declared a climate emergency on 18 July 2019.

As a Council we recognise the role we have, and are strongly committed, to the global effort to address climate change.  

We are therefore making sure all our strategic decisions and policies will bring about real change. 

We aim to:

• make the Council carbon neutral by 2030
• reduce area wide carbon emissions by 2045
• move to cleaner, greener, renewable sources of energy
• enhance our natural environment

The draft Local Plan takes climate change into consideration and includes a range of policies to help reach these targets. 

The Local Plan must balance the need to grow South Tyneside alongside the climate change agenda.

It must look to deliver sustainable development from the beginning.

Read more about this in the Climate Change Topic Paper.

Flooding

A Strategic Flood Risk Assessment identifies areas in South Tyneside where there is a risk of flooding.

There are no sites identified for development in the Local Plan that have a high flood risk.

To reduce the risk of flooding further, developers will also be asked to prioritise the use of sustainable drainage systems and make sure there is no increase in surface water run-off.

The Council is committed to making sure South Tyneside's heritage assets will continue to be preserved and enhanced.

In preparing for the draft Local Plan, Strategic Heritage Impact Assessments have been carried out to look at any potential impact on the borough's much valued heritage assets.

These assessments have informed policies within the draft Local Plan. 

The Council is confident that the proposed level of growth can be accommodated without negatively impacting on the borough's built and natural assets.

Infrastructure, such as roads and utilities, will need to be in place before any development starts.

An Infrastructure Delivery Plan will help us to plan for the needs of local people in the future. 

Schools

We must be able to provide enough school places for children who live in South Tyneside.

The area currently has a good supply of schools suitable for all ages, but it is important we can accommodate pupils in the future.

The Infrastructure Delivery Plan examines the potential impact of an increase in pupil numbers on different schools in the area.

Health facilities

Health services have also been considered as part of the development of the Local Plan.

We continue to work with health care providers to look at what extra health facilities may be needed.

Roads / Transport

We have reviewed, in detail, the impact of traffic at different sites allocated for development.

We have also considered the future demand for different types of transport.

It is likely that traffic on our roads, as with many parts of the country, will increase. A balanced approach to transport should be taken.

Road improvements will be considered where necessary and possible, however there needs to be a focus on public transport and other means of travel.

The Local Plan particularly supports opportunities for improving existing and new sustainable transport options, such as:

• allocating potential development sites as close to key public transport links as possible
• supporting improvements to the Metro network
• improving cycling and footpath networks

These measures, along with policies such as developers having to build new homes that have vehicle electric charging points, will also help with our work around climate change.

Utilities

Northumbria Water have indicated that the water and sewerage network in the area would be able to manage the future development proposed in the draft plan.

We continue to work closely with all our partners who are responsible for the area's infrastructure.

The consultation on this current draft Local Plan will take place between Monday 20 June and Sunday 14 August 2022.

After the consultation closes, a summary of the comments we have received will be published online.

The findings of the consultation will be used to inform the next stage of preparing the Local Plan and further changes will be made to it. 

There will then be another consultation on the revised Local Plan. This is likely to take place in late 2022 or early 2023.

Submission and adoption of the Local Plan

It is expected that the Local Plan will be submitted to the Secretary of State in 2024.

An independent Planning Inspector will then be appointed by the government to review the plan.

They will consider the evidence provided along with any comments put forward by local people and other interested parties from the final consultation on the plan.

The independent Planning Inspector will make the final decision on the Local Plan and the development it proposes.

The Council will then need to make the formal decision to adopt the Local Plan.

Once the Local Plan is adopted

Once adopted, a review of the Local Plan will take place every 5 years. A new plan will be produced if there are any major changes in circumstances and it is no longer up to date.