Shopping centre housing scheme sent to government
LDA DesignPlans for a large regeneration scheme built around a shopping centre are to be sent to the government for scrutiny.
The MetroGreen Area Action Plan aims to build 990 homes on brownfield land around the Metrocentre in Gateshead by 2030 and forms part of a wider plan to create a new neighbourhood of 4,500 homes.
The scheme has now been sent to the government which will appoint an independent inspector to oversee the proposal.
Gateshead councillor John McElroy said part of the site's sustainability would come from having people's homes next to where they "work, shop or are entertained".
Along with the new homes, the development includes a hotel, community facilities and leisure space.
The inspector can recommend changes to the plans before the council formally adopts them, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.
Metrocentre chairman Martin Healy recently said the full development - also known as Metro Riverside - could create enough homes for 11,000 people.
He also said the neighbourhood had been designed around the 20-minute city concept, meaning residents would be able to meet most of their daily needs within walking distance of their homes.