Green light for Newcastle housing plans

Plans by Newcastle architects’ practice Pod to create 500 homes as part of a major scheme on the outskirts of Newcastle have been given the green light.The move will pave the way for the first phase of development of a mix of three, four and five-bedroomed properties at Callerton Park, which lies to the west of the city centre and close to Newcastle International Airport.The properties, which are being built by Miller Homes (261 units) and Story Homes (244), will be released onto the market in 2019.Working with the developers and the Newcastle City Council planning committee, Pod has acted as the lead consultant, steering the Middle Callerton phase of the site’s overall development through the planning process.Callerton Park is hailed as a key neighbourhood growth area, created around ambitions to eventually build 3,000 new properties.Pod’s designs for the initial phase are part of its overall masterplan, which will involve development over the next 20 years across three individual build zones: Lower, Middle and Upper Callerton Village.A new school, several commercial units, along with improved road access to local villages and a pedestrian bridge spanning the A69, area also potentially part of the long-term plans for the site.Pod was established by Craig and Ruth Van Bedaf in 2007 and provides a range of architectural and design services. It currently employs 12 staff at its office in the Toffee Factory, Newcastle, and undertakes residential work, primarily with large regional housebuilders across the North of England.