Abandoned goods yard to be turned into 5,000 homes
Hi-Track Aerial PhotographyA former goods yard is to become the site for 5,000 new homes after receiving backing from the government.
Forth Yard in Newcastle is one of four, government-owned brownfield sites set to undergo major redevelopment as part a scheme to fast-track house building.
The former goods yard is the largest of the development projects and spans 100 acres (40.5 ha) near the River Tyne.
North East Mayor Kim McGuinness said the yard had been unused for 20 years and had been a "wasted opportunity".
"It is exactly the kind of site we should be putting houses on," she said.
"Now, we'll create jobs building up the site for homes where families can lay down roots for the future."
'Untapped resource'
A development framework for Forth Yard published by Newcastle City Council in 2020 showed the site covers a large section of the quayside.
It includes Forth Goods Yard, Pottery Lane East, Pottery Lane West, Quayside West, Newcastle Utilita Arena and Newcastle Heliport.
The houses will be built under a new Network Rail property company, which the government said would unlock up to 40,000 new homes in the UK over the next decade.
Forth Yard will be among the first of the developments including 1,500 homes at Manchester Mayfield and a mixed-use development of 425 homes in Cambridge.
HM Treasury said a new taskforce was also being established to release surplus public land for housing.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves said government-owned sites had been an untapped resource for too long.
"In contrast to the failed approach of the past, we are making the best use of public land to build the homes that families and our Armed Forces need, improving opportunities for homeownership and creating jobs across the country," she said.