Andrew Rennie (left), Lisa Hogarth (centre) and Vistry Partnerships North East head of development, Claire Slater, at the Maria Street site.

Derelict West Newcastle site to be transformed into new residential development

A derelict parcel of land to the west of Newcastle city centre is set to be given a new lease of life with the creation of 59 new homes.

Regeneration specialist Vistry Partnerships North East has been given planning permission to build on land adjacent to Maria Street in Benwell by Newcastle City Council.

With construction expected to begin in April, the site - which has laid dormant for more than two decades - is set to be transformed into a new housing scheme thanks to a £4m grant from Homes England.

The development will provide 59 new properties in a bid to enhance the local area’s offering of new affordable housing, and will be managed by social housing provider Riverside.

Andrew Rennie, development director at Vistry Partnerships North East, commented: “A lot of developers are involved in regeneration, but this is sleeves rolled up, knees deep regeneration.

“By adopting a creative approach and working in partnership with bodies such as Homes England, local authorities and specialist housing providers, sites that have been long overlooked – perhaps deemed to be too costly or complicated – can be rethought and regenerated, delivering successful outcomes for all involved.

“We have an exceptional land team with expertise in highlighting opportunities and finding ways to realise this potential - by facing down the challenges posed by complex brownfield sites.

“Being able to create much needed, high quality and affordable new homes on this site in the West End of Newcastle, unused for over two decades, is just another example of this and we very much welcome the opportunity to work with Riverside once again.”

Lisa Hogarth, assistant director for development and growth at Riverside, added: “With the government’s target to create a million new homes over the next five years, finding ways to deliver on challenging sites is to become ever more important and we are delighted to be working with Vistry to find ways to make this possible.”

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