The Planning Inspectorate has found South Tyneside’s Local Plan sound, clearing the way for a final council vote on the controversial 1,200-home Fellgate green belt development. The report, published on 1 July 2026, confirms the plan’s strategy is sound subject to main modifications and now heads to full Borough Council for approval. The council’s planning portal confirms the inspector backed the spatial strategy, green belt boundary changes, and all housing allocations.
The proposed Sustainable Urban Extension south of Fellgate has drawn years of opposition. Councillors rejected the plan twice—in September 2024 and again in February 2025—amid concerns over traffic, flooding, and loss of wildlife. The Save The Fellgate Green Belt campaign, backed by nearly 3,000 petition signatories, says it will now scrutinise the inspector’s findings. A group spokesperson stated members will analyse the report against evidence gathered over years “to ensure that decisions made will be in the best interests of our residents, rather than being led by speculative proposals.”
The Local Plan proposes removing five percent of South Tyneside’s green belt. The Fellgate site alone would span land that includes West Fellgate Working Farm, a tenancy held by the Alderslade family since about 1885 and currently providing full livery for 52 horses. On 11 February 2026, Inspector Mr Spencer had initially ruled the plan unsound but capable of correction through main modifications. A public consultation on those changes ran from late March to early May 2026.
If adopted, the plan will guide where homes, businesses, and amenities are built across the borough until 2040. Councillor David Royal, Lead Member for Economic Growth, Investment and Regeneration, described the Local Plan as critical to delivering new homes, creating jobs, and supporting regeneration. The vote date has not yet been announced.
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