1,000 signatures reached
To: North Tyneside Council
Stop Plans to Build The Watch House Garden Cafe at the Beautiful & Historic Spanish Battery
The Members of the Spanish Battery Association (made up of those residents living in the immediate vicinity of the Tynemouth Watch House) We are trying to put a stop to the proposed plans to turn the land in front of the Tynemouth Watch House into a Cafe & Cycle Hub. The proposed plans are for a large licensed food and drink establishment and will include a function room. This will of course mean an inevitable increase in commercial traffic to allow for daily deliveries to the venue and for regular waste collection. The 150 year old Watch House is situated alongside a small number of cottages that have been there for over 100 years. This is a beautiful, unspoilt and quiet area, very rare to find so close to Tynemouth Front street! Not to mention a great piece of Tynemouth history.
Why is this important?
My family and the majority of the residents have lived at the Spanish Battery for over 30 years. My parents and the neighbours were drawn to the area for the peace and quiet and of course the amazing views! This is a small haven less than 5 mins walk from the hustle and bustle of Front Street. Many visitors to the area comment on the tranquility of the place and are amazed to find such a quiet spot so close to front street.
As a Tynemouth resident and as someone who has worked in Tynemouth for over 10 years I understand the importance of tourism and boosting the economy in the area. Whilst we are more than happy to welcome visitors and share the beauty and tranquility of the area some things need to be left untouched. There are over 25 places to go for a coffee and an abundance of food and drink establishments within an easy 5 minute walk of the proposed location.
In order to proceed, the development relies upon the purchase and excavation of a large area of Public Open Space currently owned by North Tyneside Council. The main build will take at least 10 months with the closure to the public of the surrounding area!
The construction project for this would be huge and have a rather negative impact on the environment - it would involve excavating to a depth of 6m over and area of 660m this equates to minimum of 4000m3 of earth - more than the size of an Olympic swimming pool! Concrete is one of the least environmentally sustainable materials and the concrete required for this project as a minimum is approx 1000m3. Excavation and concrete alone will involve over 1000 wagon loads of material
It is important for people to be aware that one of the developers of the proposed new build has already had ambitious plans for a large residential property refused on this exact site in 2011. The council refused this on the grounds that it would be detrimental to the character and appearance of the conservation area and on the setting of a listed building - we feel strongly that this must also be applicable to the new proposal.
Myself and the members of the Spanish Battery Association strongly oppose this idea. Please sign and share this petition to show your support and help preserve part of Tynemouth's History. Lets not ruin this outstanding area!
***Please be aware that since writing the original petition the developers have changed the plans and the current plans do not contain the word "function room". Current plans do say there will be "special occasions" although there is no indication as to what these may be***
How it will be delivered
The deadline for objections is now 17th August (recently updated by NTC after a delay) which you can submit via North Tyneside Councils Public Access site https://idoxpublicaccess.northtyneside.gov.uk/online-applications/applicationDetails.do?activeTab=summary&keyVal=OS7K9WBHMZP00.
This petition will be sent to the Council before that deadline.
