Residents' anger over new homes

RESIDENTS of a Newcastle new-build estate claim they are being treated as “cash cows”, after developers unveiled plans for more new houses.

- DANIEL HOLLAND Local democracy reporter [e-mail]

Locals at the Newcastle Great Park (NGP) have been left fuming at the prospect of around 160 homes being built in an area that was meant to be part of the estate's town centre and could have included a hotel, a hospital, and a fitness centre.

Dozens of people gathered to protest the latest proposals from the NGP consortium on Wednesday, staging a demonstration outside the Roseden Way community centre where the plans had been put on display.

This latest row comes after years of mounting frustration from Great Park homeowners over a shortage of amenities in the estate's town centre, as well as unfinished roads and footpaths.

Jamie Robinson, who chairs the Great Park Neighbourhood Association (GPNA), told The Journal that the land off Brunton Lane was “supposed to be for the future town centre and for the community - and instead it is being turned into more housing and more profit for the developers”.