Riverfront Plan Draws Complaints in U.K.

A controversial development plan for a site in the North East, U.K., area is facing backlash among residents along the Ouseburn River, Chronical Live reports. Plans for an 18-story tower at the mouth of the river in Newcastle are being redrawn following the vocal public backlash. Developers have now pledged to reconsider their proposals for a 223-ft housing block, which 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 councilor-raised concern finds that Newcastle City Council could be left facing a major government bill if a suitable project is never approved. Officials have criticized that the local authority could be at risk of having to pay back government money that was awarded to help prepare the criticized Ouseburn plot for building work. One official said the Malmo Quay at the Ouseburn River is a “terrible” place for development, as the site has been dug up to resolve problems caused by water pipes and a sewage pumping station. Complaints say the project appears to “squeeze” as many flats as possible onto the land, resulting in the tower blocking vision. Officials have said the design should be “right for the community” and that responsibility for coming up with that lay with the developers, not the council or Homes England, which are both part of the joint venture to regenerate several parts of Ouseburn. Officials have said they are “pleased” in redevelopment of the site.