14.11.2008 Whitley Bay Regeneration

A potential financial black hole has emerged at the heart of the Council's regeneration plans for the Borough, Conservative Councillors have discovered.

Many of North Tyneside's key regeneration plans including the long awaited regeneration of the Spanish City area of Whitley Bay rely on the sale of Council owned land or property for their funding.

The regeneration budgets were drawn up three years ago, dependant upon a number of Council owned sites being sold off for housing developments. These plans are now in doubt after Labour's failure to progress Linda Arkley's original plans. Moreover, as the Labour Mayor has admitted he has no firm ideas for the future use of the Dome, residents are quite rightly asking, why he didn't proceed with Linda Arkley's original plans, which were fully costed and ready to go three years ago?

The latest blow comes on top of the news of further delays on the regeneration of WhitleyBay. Plans for a new hotel have now fallen through completely and plans to build flats on the Bournemouth Gardens car park have now been postponed after a developer pulled out putting the financing of the whole scheme under further doubt.