A bid to revive plans to build a Burger King at a derelict Newcastle police station has been denied a High Court date – but a judge will rule on another element of the long-running saga.
Hadrian Property Investments has been trying since 2019 to redevelop the disused West End police station in Westgate Road, with the proposals for a drive-thru takeaway having sparked fury among locals. The proposals were first rejected by Newcastle City Council in 2020 and that verdict then upheld following a public inquiry last year.
Refusing to give up on the plans, the developer then sought to launch a new challenge against government Planning Inspectorate’s decision in the High Court – but will now only be allowed to do so for half of the contentious regeneration.
The proposal to demolish part of the empty station and build the Burger King, which is one of two separate planning applications for the site, will not be considered in the High Court. That element of the plans has been denied a substantive hearing before a judge – meaning that the decision to refuse permission for it to be built still stands.
However, following an initial hearing at Leeds Combined Court in May, the second element of Hadrian Property Investments’ scheme will proceed to a full hearing. The second application would see the eastern part of the police station converted into 15 flats, two shops, and a dental surgery.
The developer’s agent, Hedley Planning Services, confirmed to the Local Democracy Reporting Service that they would be proceeding with the single High Court battle despite the failure of the Burger King challenge. A court date for the hearing has not been set.
In a verdict issued in January, planning inspector Jennifer Vyse criticised the design of the “two storey box” that would have been the fast food chain. She was also critical of the loss of privacy for residents in neighbouring Lynnwood Avenue that would result from turning the upper floors of the police station into flats.
Local residents had long complained that the prospect of bringing a new Burger King to the West End would heighten obesity problems in one of the most deprived parts of Newcastle, while also raising serious concerns about the traffic congestion that a drive-thru might cause. However, Mrs Vyse found “no meaningful breach” of the council’s rules on health and wellbeing and was also not persuaded by arguments about noise, traffic, and road safety.
The developer’s QC, Paul Tucker, had claimed during the inquiry last November that the plans on the table were the “best real world solution” for the derelict site and warned that its refusal risked leaving it mothballed. Mr Tucker accused the city council of being on the “hunt for unicorns” in hoping that a different plan for the site could be developed.
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