Foreword I have great pleasure in submitting an application for the Neighbourhood Planning Vanguards scheme on behalf of the Fish Quay Heritage Partnership. The community of the Fish Quay has a strong and successful history of taking a pro- active approach within partnerships to regeneration their area. The community’s passion and commitment to their area has brought about great improvements to the Fish Quay and I am confident that they will continue to thrive and bring about further positive change if given the opportunity to participate in their Neighbourhood Planning Vanguards scheme. Indeed at the recent Partnership meeting I was impressed by the solid commitment given by the group to this emerging model of planning neighbourhoods. I look forward to the prospect of being part of this exciting new planning regime. Linda Arkley, Elected Mayor of North Tyneside North Tyneside Council Quadrant The Silverlink North Cobalt Business Park North Tyneside NE27 0BY Application North Tyneside Council have pleasure in submitting this application for Neighbourhood Planning Vanguard status. It will produce a revised Supplementary Planning Document (SPD) for the Fish Quay Conservation Area North Shields, prepared by the community living, working, visiting and developing in that area. (http://www.northtyneside.gov.uk/pls/portal/NTC_PSCM.PSCM_Web.download?p_ID=224101 ). North Tyneside Council, will as far as practicable commit to: • working closely with the community group to enable the group to prepare a draft SPD • providing the community group with reasonable guidance and technical assistance to facilitate plan preparation • appointing a suitably qualified professional to undertake an independent facilitation of the revised SPD. An SPD, unlike a development plan document, will not require examination in public. However, we believe that independent facilitation will meet the requirements of the scheme. The principle focus of the work, led and undertaken by the community will be targeted on the area highlighted below. However, as the plan evolves and if the focus area requires amendment, this will be reflected in the published document. North Shields Fish Quay The Fish Quay is in the borough of North Tyneside, a metropolitan district within the county of Tyne and Wear in the north east of England. It covers a historically important river frontage near the mouth of the Tyne where the natural and built environments combine to create an area of unique character and appearance. The Fish Quay area has a long and interesting history. The original settlement, founded in 1225 as a small fishing village, grew into a popular port and industrial area. During the third Dutch War, the strategic importance of the area was recognised and Clifford’s Fort was built in 1672. However, in the 20 th century, the area’s traditional industries declined due to the constrained sites’ inability to house expanding business. A reduction in North Sea Fish stocks saw the decline of the fishing industry and ancillary industries in the area. This situation led North Tyneside Council to undertake several initiatives to aid the area’s regeneration, first commissioning a regeneration strategy and master plan (2001), which catalysed interest by the community and subsequently led to the creation of the interest group Folk Interested in Shields Harbour (FISH). The Regeneration Strategy recommended various actions including the designation of Fish Quay as a conservation area, and a range of economic and conservation led capital projects. A Fish Quay Heritage Partnership (FQHP) was established in 2005 to steer an English Heritage Partnership Scheme (EHPS), followed by a Townscape Heritage Initiative (THI) scheme 2007-12. The Fish Quay is a rugged, hardworking area with commercial activity amongst the setting of a number of historic structures. Its atmosphere is conveyed not only by the sights, but also by the smells of the sea, the restaurants, and the sounds of boat engines and gulls. It is a working quay, but with many non-fishing-related industries now choosing the characterful Fish Quay as their base. As the employment base diversifies residential and leisure uses are increasing. The history of the area, evident through much of its built environment, is reflected in the high number of buildings that are either listed (eleven) or locally registered (seven). Clifford’s Fort is a scheduled ancient monument. The Fish Quay is a priority focus for the Council. The scale of issues, in terms of the decline of the fishing industry, redundant buildings, and the need to have regard to conservation, has meant that this was anticipated to be a long term (10-15 year) project. To date, the Council with other public and private sector partners and with community engagement have spent £20 million successfully bringing forward physical regeneration projects such as the following: Rebuilding of Western Quay – a major berthing structure vital to sustaining the remaining elements of the fishing industry. Heritage Lottery Fund Townscape Heritage Iniative –funding for public realm, reinstatement of historic buildings and bringing vacant floorspace back into use such as the Irvin building illustrated. It was once a chandlery, workshop, stores and offices servicing the fishing industry but has now been converted to 26 apartments English Heritage Conservation Area Partnership Scheme – Property based grants scheme. Illustrated – Former Barracks Building, Cliffords Fort, concersion and extension to office accommodation New Food Park – to enable the demolition of fish processing units which no longer met EU standards Working Above Shops Project – bringing vacant floor space above the parade of shops on Union Quay back into use as offices Vita House – Conversion of former fish processing unit to office and workshop space for small and medium size enterprises Smokehouses – Conversion of former smokehouses in Cliffords Fort to office accommodation Bre kkies Sea defence – Extension of promenade wall and path which doubles up as a flood defence. Toilet – provision of new award winning toilets for the many public visitors to the Fish Quay Extension of Bre kkies car park to ease on-street parking pressures. Demolition of unsympathetic buildings abutting or adjacent to the Clifford’s Fort Ancient Monument . Illustrated – former Crescent fish processing units Interpretation Boards Work to regenerate the area is still ongoing but there remains a clear determination to complete the task, with developers keen to work collaboratively with the Council and the local community to achieve the final pieces in the Fish Quay regeneration jigsaw. Public sector funding will be limited and future initiatives will have to largely be privately financed. This proposal looks to embrace the emerging Localism agenda and stimulate local growth. And so on the 8 th February 2010 the FQHP meeting (appendix 1) committed themselves to the production of a revised Supplementary Planning Document. This would be adopted by the Elected Mayor and her Cabinet as a Neighbourhood Plan and play a fundamental part of the planning framework for the neighbourhood in the forthcoming years. It will give certainty to all members of the community including landowners and developers about how they can be involved in the management and development of the Fish Quay. This certainty and inclusivity will give added confidence in the future which will benefit the Fish Quay neighbourhood and the wider North Shields area. Strength and Experience of Community The Fish Quay has an impressive track record of successful, pro-active community involvement and “The community at Fish Quay is a partnership in managing and enhancing the area. strong, vocal crowd and they’ve never been shy in speaking their The Design Know-How Project ran from November 2003 to March 2004. Facilitated by the North of minds about they want and don’t England Civic Trust and Northern Architecture, a team want when new development came together consisting of members of local group opportunities arise in this FISH, officers from the Council’s Regeneration, characterful area. Some of these Planning and Conservation teams, design development sites have been professionals from local and national businesses around for a long time - as have the (Glass Arc, FaulknerBrowns and Llewellyn Davies), a rumours about their future - so it freelance artist and several other local residents and would be ideal if local people could business people. help finally decide what happens to them, in a truly hands-on, The project involved local people and designers collaborative way. There’s an on- working going debate at the Quay about the together to future direction of land use and understand the Leftbank Developments Ltd. have planning there, and it’ll be area and learn been closely involved with the Fish about basic fascinating to see just how that Quay at North Shields for over 10 pans out when developers, local urban and building design years and so know very well the people and the Council get round principles. challenges it poses. In that time a the table to hammer out a future During the significant amount of progress has plan. This could be an important project, some been made. However, today, more opportunity for the community at of the team, than ever, the Fish Quay needs a Fish Quay and I really hope local including a concerted effort to complete the people will get involved.” member of transformation of some of the final FISH, attended and most important derelict and Jules Brown, Chair of FQHP and