Controversial plans for 18-storey tower block in Ouseburn to be redrawn after overwhelming backlash

Ouseburn tower block, proposed view from Walker Road Credit: PfP-igloo / Colour Urban Design Ltd

Controversial plans for an 18-storey tower at the mouth of the Ouseburn looks set to be redrawn, after overwhelming public backlash.

The opposition has made it one of the most heavily opposed developments in Newcastle's history.

Thousands of objections are thought to have been lodged against the controversial proposals for the apartment complex on Malmo Quay, which has been branded a "monstrosity" and "ugly" eyesore by furious locals.

The plans would also involve more homes being built around the 223ft tower and on neighbouring Spillers Quay, as well as the popular Cycle Hub being demolished and relocated.

After the overwhelming opposition to the project, developers now say they will reconsider their designs.

PfP igloo, the organisation behind the scheme, says it has asked Newcastle City Council to "put a hold" on its application and will work with Scandinavian architects White Arkitekter to "examine options to respond to feedback gathered during consultation".

Ouseburn tower block, proposed view from Newcastle Quayside. Credit: PfP-igloo / Colour Urban Design Ltd

At a public inquiry into another major Quayside apartment block planned for the nearby Plot 12 site last week, it was stated that between 2,000 and 3,000 individual objections had been made against the Malmo and Spillers proposals - a number thought to be among the highest ever recorded by the city council.

Alec Hamlin, development manager at PfP igloo, said: "We really value the feedback gathered during the consultation process, and will be working alongside our appointed architects, and with planners at Newcastle City Council, to ensure that it is taken on board.

"Having delivered two residential schemes at Ouseburn already, we know and love this area and want to ensure that Malmo and Spillers benefit from stunning new developments that complement their surroundings.

"We are committed to delivering an exemplar riverside community for this beautiful part of Newcastle and look forward to building on the conversations we have had with local residents and stakeholders to design a plan that is warmly welcomed by the area."

Despite requests from the Local Democracy Reporting Service over the past week, the city council has been unable to confirm the exact number of objections to the scheme at this stage.

The number stood at around 1,500 when a formal consultation deadline passed in mid-February, with fewer than 10 comments in support or neutral, but the local authority has continued to accept representations from the public since then.

The proposed view from the Free Trade Inn Credit: PfP-igloo / Colour Urban Design Ltd

Ouseburn's popular Free Trade Inn pub has been rallying opposition to the controversial scheme, fearing the tower would dominate the East End skyline and block out the beloved view of the Quayside from its beer garden.

Pub manager Mick Potts said on Wednesday that it was "encouraging that they [PfP igloo] are listening to concerns, but it remains to be seen what they come back with".

As well as the tower, which would be one of the tallest buildings in the city and contain 62 apartments, the proposals feature another 13 townhouses and two duplex apartments on the disused Malmo land, plus up to 73 homes in a set of buildings up to eight storeys tall on neighbouring Spillers Quay.

After hosting a public forum to debate the plans in February, the Ouseburn Trust said that there was "overwhelming dislike" for the development in the community and that it fails to live up to the standards set by Igloo's previous projects in Ouseburn - the Malings and Lower Steenberg's Yard.