Amethyst Homes wants to build 46 homes on the old platforms south of Tynemouth Station, with no affordable housing. Comments can go in until 12 November.
A housebuilder has applied to build 46 homes on the disused platforms south of Tynemouth Station. None of them would be affordable homes.
Amethyst Homes, a North East housebuilder, submitted the plans to North Tyneside Council on 6 October. The application is 26/01389/FULM on the council’s planning register. It is down for a decision by the planning committee, not by officers.
The scheme replaces an earlier one for the same land. That permission, granted in 2022, allowed 71 homes and a small commercial unit. Amethyst’s planning statement says it was implemented in November 2025, so it is still live.
What is planned
On the land south of the station, between the Metro line and Tynemouth Road, the application includes:
- 18 houses and 28 flats and maisonettes, from one to four bedrooms, all for sale on the open market
- 25 parking spaces, all with electric vehicle charging
- a new one-way road in from Tynemouth Road, running out to Station Terrace
- a gap knocked in the stone wall on Tynemouth Road for that entrance
- removal of the redundant platforms south of the station, and part of those to the north
- a brick wall along the railway side, agreed with Nexus, to keep people off the track
The tallest homes are four-storey houses at the ends of the terraces, according to the design and access statement.
North of the station, the land would become a public car park with 58 spaces, two of them accessible. That is five more than the 2022 permission allowed. Three pay and display bays would be added on Station Terrace, beside Davanti’s.
Why there are no affordable homes
North Tyneside’s Local Plan asks for 25% affordable homes on schemes of 11 or more. On 46 homes, that would be 11 or 12.
Amethyst says the site cannot pay for them. Its viability assessment, by Lambert Smith Hampton, puts the figures like this:
| All homes for sale | With 25% affordable | |
|---|---|---|
| Land value left over | £45,000 | minus £715,000 |
| Shortfall against a £535,000 benchmark | £490,000 | £1,250,000 |
The homes would sell for £16.4 million in total, an average of £359 a square foot, the report says. Building them would cost about £8.1 million. A further £2.4 million is set aside for the extra costs of an old railway site.
The report also tests what happens if prices and costs move. With build costs 10% lower and sale prices 10% higher, it says affordable housing would become viable. The council will have the assessment reviewed independently.
What the station gets
The developer would instead pay £419,000 towards work on the station, according to the viability report. The planning statement lists what Amethyst has agreed with Station Developments, which won the 2022 permission, to fund:
- an ongoing maintenance fund for the station
- refurbished public toilets
- new lighting under the canopy
- cycle stands on the platforms
- more CCTV
- heritage information boards
The viability report also lists a £226,000 Community Infrastructure Levy charge and £24,702 in other planning payments: £15,502 for coastal mitigation and £9,200 for a travel plan.
The station is listed at Grade II*, the second-highest grade, according to the developer’s heritage statement. The site is also inside the Tynemouth conservation area. Because of the listing, the wall and platform works need a separate listed building consent, 26/01390/LBC.
Parking and the weekend market
Traffic and parking were among the main themes in comments on Amethyst’s consultation. Of the 46 homes, 21 would have no space of their own.
The developer has agreed an option with Station Developments for up to 21 permits in the new car park, one for each of those homes. It says it hopes to attract buyers who do not own a car, given the Metro next door. The car park would also take public paid parking and some parking for stallholders at the weekend market.
A parking survey for the developer counted 264 street spaces within 500 metres. On a market day, they were 90% full on average at midday.
Most people who answered the survey were against it
Amethyst ran an online consultation from 8 to 24 July. According to its statement of community involvement, 150 people filled in its questionnaire, and 89% said they did not support the scheme.
The council’s first response
The council’s flood and drainage team has replied. In a response dated 20 October, its engineer accepts in principle the plan to hold back rainwater and release it slowly into the sewer. The team asks for more modelling and levels before he can confirm it would work in a severe storm (LLFA response). No other consultee had replied when we checked the register on 21 October.
What it means for you
- To comment, use the council’s planning register and search for 26/01389/FULM. Neighbour letters give 5 November. The site and press notices run to 12 November, the latest date on the register.
- Objections or support carry most weight when they deal with planning matters: the height and look of the homes next to a listed station, parking, the loss of the platforms, and the lack of affordable housing.
- The decision will be made by the planning committee. The council’s target date is 5 January 2027. We will report the officers’ recommendation when the committee papers are published.
Our planning news page tracks other applications on the coast.
Sources
- Planning application 26/01389/FULM, North Tyneside Council planning register (dates, committee decision level, documents)
- Listed building consent application 26/01390/LBC
- Planning and affordable housing statement, viability assessment, heritage statement, design and access statement, statement of community involvement and LLFA response, all on the register under 26/01389/FULM
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