Scaled-back plans for a controversial housing development on the Newcastle riverside are “alright, but not world class”, a prominent Ouseburn charity says.
New designs were revealed on Wednesday for Malmo Quay, at the mouth of the Ouseburn, showing how a much-criticised tower block earmarked for the long-vacant site had been cut almost in half. Developers PfP-igloo slashed eight floors off the originally proposed 18-storey apartment complex after it was met with a torrent of objections, with opponents having labelled it an “eyesore” and “disastrous”.
Chris Barnard, chief officer of the Ouseburn Trust, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that the charity had been in talks with PfP-igloo since they agreed to redraw their plans in March and that the developer’s engagement had been “much better” since the initial backlash. Mr Barnard said that while the general opinion among members of the independent development trust appears to be that the smaller housing block is an upgrade on its much larger predecessor, it is not the iconic landmark that he had hoped could be built on such a crucial plot of land.
