A plan would turn the empty Duke of York on High Street West, Wallsend, into ten flats, three of them shared cluster flats. Nine of the ten comments so far object.

The Duke of York, the red-brick corner pub on High Street West in Wallsend, could be turned into ten flats. Wallsend is about five miles south-west of Whitley Bay.

Fourstone Property Group Limited applied to North Tyneside Council on 21 October. The application is 26/01472/FUL. The application form describes the building as a “disused public house” and says the site is vacant.

By 7 November the register showed 10 comments from the public. Nine objected and none supported the plan.

What the plan includes

The proposal on the council’s planning register is for:

  • three cluster flats on the ground floor
  • three studio flats
  • four one-bedroom flats
  • removal of the existing rear extension, and a new two-storey extension in its place
  • a bin store, a covered cycle store and a shared yard at the back, reached from the rear lane

The proposed floor plans show nine en-suite bedrooms on the ground floor, split across the three cluster flats. Each cluster has a shared kitchen and dining room. The studios and two of the one-bedroom flats are on the first floor, and the other two one-bedroom flats are on the second floor.

The application form lists ten cycle spaces and no car parking. The design and access statement, by Vaughan Architecture, allows space for six 360-litre wheelie bins. It says the front of the building, with its decorative gables, arched windows and two doorcases, would see “minimal works”. The pub is not listed.

The application does not say who the flats are for or whether they would be let privately.

What objectors have said

Most of the comments on the register argue that the cluster flats amount to a house in multiple occupation (HMO). One said the term “cluster flats” was “somewhat misleading” and that the floor plan showed “a purpose built HMO”.

The concerns raised include:

  • antisocial behaviour already reported around the High Street
  • six wheelie bins being too few for the number of residents
  • no car parking
  • the schools, care home and sheltered housing nearby

A separate comment, marked neutral, asked the council to confirm who the accommodation is intended for. No answer is on the register yet.

The bats question

A daytime bat survey by Tyne Ecology, carried out on 14 September, rated the building as having “moderate suitability for bats”. It concludes that further surveys are needed.

The ecologist recommends two night-time presence or absence surveys between May and September, with at least one before the end of August. It says no work should be carried out before those surveys take place. The same survey found gaps that nesting birds could use.

Other responses so far

Northumbrian Water replied on 26 October. It said the application did not give enough information about foul and surface water for it to assess capacity. It made no specific comments and asked the developer to consider better surface water drainage. Its letter is headed with the name of a different building in Ryton, though it carries this application’s reference.

The wider HMO picture in Wallsend

On 23 July the council decided to make an Article 4 Direction for several wards, including Wallsend Central, where the pub stands. It would remove the right to turn a family house into a small HMO of three to six people without planning permission. It is a non-immediate direction, and a further report is due to decide whether to confirm it after consultation.

It would not change how this application is handled. Converting a pub into flats already needs full planning permission.

What it means for you

  • To comment: use the application page. The neighbour consultation runs to 12 November. The council’s press notice, dated 29 October, allows 21 days, which takes it to 19 November.
  • Who decides: the register expects a delegated decision by council officers, not the planning committee. Its internal target date is 13 January 2027.
  • What counts: planning comments carry weight when they deal with planning matters, such as living space, bins, parking, noise and the effect on neighbours.

For other applications across the borough, see our planning news page. We will report the decision when it is made.