The future of one of a controversial development site in the North East is facing a “critical” few months. Plans for an 18-story tower to be built at the mouth of the Ouseburn in Newcastle are being redrawn following a huge public backlash to the scheme. Developers pledged to reconsider their proposals for a 223 foot (68 meter) housing block that would radically alter the riverside skyline of the East End.
With numerous building projects having failed on the Malmo Quay site over recent decades, a councillor raised concerns this week that Newcastle City Council could be left facing a major bill from the Government if a suitable project is never approved. Liberal Democrat Gareth Kane, who has been a vocal critic of the scheme, aired fears that the local authority could be at risk of having to pay back a £1.75 million (US$2.2 million) Government grant that was awarded to help prepare the troublesome Ouseburn plot for building work.
The Ouseburn ward councillor called Malmo Quay a “terrible” place for development, with the site currently dug up as engineers work to resolve problems caused by water pipes and a sewage pumping station underneath and lay the foundations for buildings.
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