Local Plan examination – Save The Fellgate Green Belt

Page last updated 15th June 2026

Breaking News

Designation Notice from Matthew Pennycook MP – Minister of State for Housing and Planning
Click to read the Section 62A Designation Notice pertaining to South Tyneside Council

What this means is: Developers and applicants for the specified category of development (e.g., major development) are given the freedom to bypass the local authority and apply directly to the Planning Inspectorate, which determines the application on behalf of the Secretary of State. However, there are many caveats that the developer must adhere to when submitting an application to the Planning Inspectorate.

It has been reported that South Tyneside Council Cabinet has agreed to begin work on a new Local Plan even though the current Draft Local Plan is still being examined by the Government appointed Planning Inspector. Note: the current Draft Local Plan has not been cancelled or replaced.

The current Draft Local plan is still formally at the Examination in Public stage and remains under consideration by the Planning Inspector. This process will continue unless the Council formally withdraws the plan or the Government changes its direction.

The Cabinet decision to begin preparing a new Local Plan appears to reflect major changes to national planning policy and housing requirements introduced by Government.

It is thought that both processes may effectively run alongside one another:

– the current Draft Local Plan continues through the examination,
– while the Council begins preparing a future replacement plan under the newer planning framework.

To be crystal clear the current Draft Local Plan is still active and the inspector continues to review all representations.

Also note: you can contact our councillors via the emails listed below, as it is essential that you remind each of them how important the green belt is.

cllr.geraldine.kilgour@southtyneside.gov.uk
cllr.mal.bell@southtyneside.gov.uk
cllr.jean.murray@southtyneside.gov.uk

Also, this is the the new council leader’s email address.

cllr.paul.mackings@southtyneside.gov.uk

Click to read South Tyneside Council has published “A redacted version of all representations received

The Consultation on the Main Modifications to the ST Draft Local Plan is has now closed.

There were many Main Modifications related to other areas of the Local Plan but the main one related to our group was Policy SP8 Fellgate Sustainable Growth Area MM-10: This is all about the planned development on the Fellgate Green Belt.

Following meetings and discussion by the Working Group, major issues and concerns were identified in relation to MM-10. These were then put together to form the basis of the Save the Fellgate Green Belt Group Response, which has been forwarded to STC prior to the their deadline.

Many of you added your signature to this response either via the website or in a written format.

We are confident that all issues were covered. In addition, we know that there have been both individual responses as well as further group responses related to MM-10, not only by people who reside in our local area, but throughout the whole of South Tyneside and beyond. BIG Thank You to everyone who responded.

Now the hard part for us all is the ‘Waiting Game’. Please rest assured that there have been very strong and in-depth arguments made by many, many people, against the Main Modifications to the Local Plan as a whole. This relates to all of the Main Modifications proposed by STC:

In relation to MM-10: Please Stay Positive, Stay Strong and having Worked Together WE Believe that the Fellgate Green Belt CAN be Saved

Now that the consultation of the Main Modifications has closed the information below is no longer applicable, whilst the links will still work, you can no longer submit them to the Inspector. The guidance is here to ensure continuity of the processes we have followed.

A Guide on Main Modifications : Fellgate Main Modifications : Our Consultation Form: If you are having issues using the official documentation or STC web site: Our consultation form allows you to write a response for each Proposed Change (highlighted in red text). Clicking on the links will download the document. Please Note: These document are edited copies of the official documents and are intended to make it easier to write your responses to the main modifications for Fellgate Only.
YOU DO NOT HAVE TO USE THEM.

Also to remind any one using AI there are government guideline available by clicking this link

Update: Note the changes to the Dead Lines: Consultation Deadline Friday 24 April 2026 3.00pm (Town Hall offices closure)
Consultation Form deadline: Friday 24 April 2026 11:59pm (via have your say or email the consultation form)

On the 11th March 2026, South Tyneside Council posted on their website Latest News:
Local Plan Main Modifications Consultations

Before the inspector can reach a final conclusion on the emerging Local Plan, the Council must carry out a public consultation on some proposed Main Modifications.
Consultation will take place from Wednesday 11 March 2026 until Friday 24 April 2026.
Please note: there are a lot of new documents, and Save the Fellgate working group are currently working on these, and will where necessary provide further information on our social media and this web site.

For information from South Tyneside Council and to read the consultation documents,
please click this link Main Modifications consultation.

All Hearings Transcripts have been processed into unofficial documents click to read Minutes of the hearing.
The council has responded to a question relating to the actions and responsibilities. You can also read this using the link above.

We hope you had the time read them as they give a clear account of what was discussed, actions and responsibilities and area’s of disagreements.

Many of you will have received an email from the Inspector (Mr Spencer) today related to the recent Stage 2 hearings. I have also added the link below.
Mr Spencer has stated that:-

‘I have determined that the plan as submitted is not sound. However, it could be made sound through main modifications (MMs) which I can recommend’.

The fact that the Local Plan has been deemed ‘not sound’ is a major development.

The letter from Mr Spencer includes some main modifications related to the planned build on the Fellgate Green Belt (Policy Sp8) and the Working Group will be sifting through these over the next few days. Some of these are related to Infrastructure and we have already identified inconsistencies with some of the data that STC presented during the hearings. The Working Group are also working behind the scenes in relation to additional issues which we have identified.
As a Community we need to continue to provide evidence such as photographs highlighting traffic issues, flooding issues, surface water, wildlife and anything else that you feel is relevant.
ALL RESIDENTS regardless of whether they initially made representations during the Reg 19 Consultation period will then be able to have their say during a six- week Consultation period.
This was confirmed in the following statement from Mr Spencer:-

The consultation should extend to all statutory consultees and interested persons and not be limited only to those who made representations at the Regulation 19 stage in early 2024.
I will consider the responses to the consultation, before reaching my final conclusions on the MMs required. However, the general expectation is that issues raised, following the consultation of the proposed MMs, will be considered through the written representations process. Further hearing sessions will only be scheduled exceptionally.

This will be when as a United Community, we will all voice our concerns and highlight to Mr Spencer the reasons as to why there can never be any development on the Fellgate Green Belt.

We Stay Positive, Stay Strong and as a Community WE WILL Save the Fellgate Green Belt

Click to read the Inspectors Letter

The Working Group along with Geraldine (Cllr Kilgour), attended the majority of sessions. Due to set procedures that govern the Examination in Public process, members of the working group were only allowed to give verbal representations for the issues that were initially mentioned in the Regulation 19 statements made by residents during the initial Consultation period between January 15th and March 3rd 2024. The main day related to Fellgate was 15th January 2026. All written submissions will be treated just the same as the verbal representations by the inspector.

The Inspector gave details of ‘what happens next’ For the full briefing please click on the link below and fast forward to 3.02.26:

The ESTIMATED schedule for the next steps are as follows:

The Inspector will send out the Main Recommended Modifications required for ‘Plan Soundness’ by the end of Jan – early Feb 2026

There will be a 6 week Consultation Period between late March – Early May for those residents who responded at Reg 19

The Council will then receive the Inspectors Report towards the end of May – Early June 2026.

The Local Plan Website will also be updated as news comes in and we will monitor this.

In relation to the Hearings themselves. I believe that we put the best possible case forward ensuring that all relevant points were addressed and evidenced from information collected and collated by the Working Group and you yourselves, over the past two years.

We now have to wait for the report which will inform us of the Inspectors decision. For 2 years now we’ve Stayed Strong, continued to Work Together as a Community and most of all Stayed Positive. Please continue to do so and very soon now we’ll know whether the Fellgate Green Belt has been Saved. Believe!

As always, and for completeness all official documents are available via this link:
Latest news – South Tyneside Council

Mr Spencer (the government Inspector) has stated that:-
‘I have determined that the plan as submitted is not sound. However, it could be made sound through main modifications (MMs) which I can recommend’.

Stage One and Stage Two public hearings:
Streamed on YouTube: Click the session to watch:

As you know the Local Plan examination was videoed and published on YouTube. A YouTube transcript facility which converts the recorded speech to text is also available.

Using AI (artificial intelligence) analysis of all the transcripts, we have been able to produced documents in the form of minutes. (NOTE: they are NOT official minutes of the hearing). These documents were intended to simplify and summarise what was said, what was agreed / disagreed and any Actions with Responsibilities taken from the recorded Transcript.

The council has received and published both Stage 1 and Stage 2 post hearing letters from the inspector which are available via these links: Stage 1 post hearing Stage 2 post hearing

It is clear that the actions and responsibilities gained from the content of transcripts us AI technologies, and published in the documents below do not directly match the actions outlined in the Inspectors post hearing letters.

The council has informed us that:
“The only actions for stage 1 that the council are required to respond to are those which were set out in the Inspectors Stage 1 Post hearing letter. We have responded to those specific actions and publicised those responses”.
“The only actions for the Council from stage 2 relate to the Main Modifications as set out in Appendix of the Inspectors letter”

Matter 1: Legal and procedural requirements Tuesday 8th July 10am