OUR Proposals
High Quality Student Accommodation in the heart of Newcastle
The proposals for Pottery Lane aim to deliver a high-quality, well-designed student living environment that reflects the site’s unique context and supports the wider regeneration of Forth Yards. The scheme has been informed by detailed design and technical assessments to ensure it responds sensitively to the Tyne Gorge, enhances the streetscape along Pottery Lane, and provides students with attractive internal and external amenity spaces.
The Masterplan
The emerging proposals include
- Around 400 student bedrooms in a mix of studios and cluster apartments.
- Ground floor communal spaces to help animate Pottery Lane and create an active building frontage.
- A central landscaped courtyard, providing outdoor space for study, relaxation and socialising.
- Improved pedestrian environment with additional space around the main entrance.
- Dedicated access routes for pedestrians, cyclists and vehicles, including drop-off and servicing.
- Secure cycle parking, supporting sustainable travel.
- Public realm enhancements, helping to improve movement and visual quality around the site.
- Sustainable drainage systems (SuDS) integrated into the landscape.
- Biodiversity improvements, including removal of invasive vegetation and new planting.
- Potential rooftop amenity spaces, providing additional outdoor areas for residents (subject to detailed design).
Design Approach & Massing
Discussions with Newcastle City Council have shaped the emerging design response, including a stepped profile from 7½ storeys on Pottery Lane down to 4 storeys at the Tyne Gorge, taking account of townscape, heritage setting and long-distance views. All elements continue to be refined through detailed urban design, townscape, access, noise, daylight/sunlight, ecology and heritage assessments.
Landscape & Ecology
Landscape-Led Design Supporting Ecology and Amenity
The landscape strategy aims to enhance the site’s ecological value while providing secure, attractive outdoor spaces for residents. The approach responds to the unique setting above the Tyne Gorge by retaining and enhancing the vegetated escarpment and introducing new habitats within the courtyard and roofscape.
Key Features
- A high-quality landscaped courtyard garden for both social use and quiet study.
- Native and climate-resilient planting across the site to strengthen biodiversity.
- Targeted improvements to the Tyne Gorge slope including selective management and invasive species removal.
- Integrated SuDS features such as rain gardens and permeable surfaces.
- Opportunities for green roofs and terraced planting to provide additional urban habitat.
- Retention and enhancement of existing vegetation on the southern escarpment where appropriate.
- Installation of bird and bat boxes within the façade and landscaped areas, helping support urban wildlife.
- Opportunities for small mammal access and habitat features within the boundary.
- A commitment to demonstrating Biodiversity Net Gain, confirmed through ongoing ecological assessment.
This landscape-led approach supports wider ecological objectives for Forth Yards and contributes positively to long-term regeneration.
Access & Movement
A Well-Connected, Low-Car Student Location
The site’s central position makes it ideally suited for sustainable, low-car student living.
Key Features
- Excellent public transport connectivity, with short walking distances to Central Station, the Metro and major bus routes, providing direct access to both universities and the wider city region.
- Low-car student living model, supported by strong public transport links and on-site cycle provision, reducing reliance on private cars and minimising parking demand on local streets.
- Secure cycle parking within the building, supporting active travel and encouraging sustainable commuting for residents.
- Improved pedestrian environment along Pottery Lane, achieved through increased building setback and frontage activation, creating more space around the entrance and improving comfort and safety for people on foot.
- Clear separation of pedestrian, cyclist and vehicle movements, improving safety and helping reduce conflict between different users.
- Dedicated service bay on Pottery Lane, designed to accommodate deliveries, refuse vehicles and emergency access without obstructing pedestrian routes or highway movement.
- Safeguarding for future road widening, with the primary building setback aligned to support potential Newcastle City Council carriageway improvements along Pottery Lane.
- Cranked building alignment to create additional space alongside the King Edward VII Bridge, supporting potential future pedestrian movement as wider Forth Yards development progresses.
- A comprehensive Transport Assessment is underway, covering access strategy, servicing and refuse arrangements, trip generation, emergency access and any required mitigation, in consultation with Newcastle City Council.