Approval sought for demolition of shops

PLANS have been submitted for the partial demolition of a town’s shopping centre.

- CHRIS BINDING

The application, submitted to South Tyneside Council by Sheet Anchor Investments Limited, seeks ‘prior approval’ for the demolition of a ‘series of retail units’ within the Viking Centre, in Jarrow. They include a row of retail units near the Ellison Street entrance and along Bede Precinct.

The scheme’s backers state the demolition at the 65-year-old centre will affect “a number of units that are largely vacant, including the former Wilko building on the corner of Bede Precinct and Ellison Street’.