Hi everyone 

thank you for your support and for submitting your comments on this application to the council

Update from the council – deadline for comments extended to 25th March

The comment deadline is always based on the last form of publicity undertaken, as neighbour letters, press notice and site notices don’t all necessarily happen on the same day. In this case, the press notice was last to be undertaken, being published on 4 March 2026 giving a final comment deadline of 25 March 2026.

You can submit comments more than once, when new information comes to light.

The Biodiversity Net Gain report submitted by Story homes is mis-titled - It should read Bio Diversity Net Loss as they come to the conclusion that:

  Combined change in habitat units equals minus 3.51 habitats units, equivalent to a minus 15.57% net gain.

In simpler terms they have worked out that this development will result in a 15.5 % net loss in biodiversity. They should be achieving a 10% net gain.

Story homes declare:

At the time of writing there is no off-site land available for habitat creation to achieve the additional units required and so, as a last resort, the remaining units required will be purchased.

The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) is a leading international conservation organisation dedicated to protecting nature and reducing human impact on the environment

Importantly, in WWF’s view biodiversity credits are not the same as offsets. Meaning they don’t compensate for the buyer’s environmental harms elsewhere. 

The WWF also firmly believe that companies must not use biodiversity credits as a substitute for improvements to their own climate, water, or nature impacts.

Story Homes say

The purchase of units will be required to achieve the mandatory 10% net gain in habitat units and achieve and overall biodiversity net gain.

So Story Homes aim to buy biodiversity credits which could be used anywhere worldwide and definitely not in Whitburn - what good is that to Whitburn or to the Curlews and other protected birds that use this field as their habitat?

You can submit comments as often as you need until 13th March, especially if new information / evidence comes to light.

•Email your comments on this planning application to:

• planning@southtyneside.gov.uk

•Quote the reference number 260049

•By post: Planning Group, Town Hall and Civic Offices, Westoe Road, South Shields, Tyne and Wear, NE33 2RL.

•Please include your postal address. Comments that are anonymous or that do not include your address are not considered.

•We now have until 25th March to submit comments.

I would advise that you add the following - Please acknowledge receipt of these comments and provide the contact details of the officer dealing with this matter

Thanks again

Steve Lavelle