Local plan approved after years-long struggle
LDRSA plan paving the way for thousands of new homes has been given the green light after years of delays, political battles, and government intervention.
Reform UK-led South Tyneside Council voted to approve the local plan, which will shape where homes, jobs and infrastructure are built until 2040.
Previous attempts to move the plan forward were refused in September 2024 and again in February 2025, which led to the government intervening and having one of its own planning inspectors look at it.
Despite concerns raised by opposition councillors, including Green Party, Labour Party and independent representatives, the plan was passed by a majority vote.
A final vote was taken on Thursday after the local authority found the plan "sound", subject to a number of modifications.
Proposals for green belt land at Fellgate remain among the most contentious elements.
A report to the council said it had a statutory duty to maintain an up-to-date local plan and warned failure to adopt it could leave the council open to legal challenges, trigger further government intervention, or risk it losing control over future developments.
Councillor David Royal, cabinet member for economic growth, regeneration and investment, said the council had one of the oldest local plans in the country and "difficult decisions" had not been made in the past.
He added the council had invested "significant time, money and resources" in preparing the plan, which would be wasted if it was not adopted.
He said the local plan was about more than housing, with policies around economic growth, supporting the regeneration of town centres, protecting green spaces, and protecting valuable and historic environments.
'Unwanted and unsustainable'
But councillor Rachael Taylor, leader of the Green group, said the government was "forcing 5,000 homes on us" and the plan was "unwanted and unsustainable".
She said there were still concerns about flood risks, pressure on an "inadequate sewerage system", long-term impacts on wildlife, the loss of green spaces, and whether the plan would deliver enough affordable housing.
Labour councillor Geraldine Kilgour, who represents the Fellgate and Hedworth ward where the local plan earmarks land for major housing development, raised matters on behalf of campaigners about impacts on the green belt and a working farm.
Other concerns centred on traffic, sewerage infrastructure, school places and healthcare services.
Independent councillor Kate Owens-Palmer noted the council was discussing an "inherited Labour-developed plan".
She said a "fresh mandate should have been brought".
"The plan before us should just do more than reconciling a new administration to an old faded plan that has been rejected twice, with the communities here expected to live with the consequences," she said.
A vote to officially adopt the local plan was eventually passed by South Tyneside Council with 34 votes in favour and 13 votes against, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.
