236 Riverside Homes Planned for the Next Phase of Smith's Dock

The slow transformation of the old Smith's Dock shipyard in North Shields is set to take another significant step. Places for People and the housebuilder Vistry have formed a joint venture to deliver 236 new homes on the riverside site, adding a fresh chapter to one of the largest regeneration projects on the north bank of the Tyne.

Smith's Dock sits on the site of the former Swan Hunter and Smith's Dock shipyards, which for generations built vessels at the mouth of the river before shipbuilding here wound down in the 1980s. Much of the ground lay dormant for two decades, held back by the cost and complexity of cleaning up a heavy-industry brownfield site. The regeneration that began under Urban Splash has already brought more than a hundred households to the waterfront, and this latest phase pushes the project further along the quay.

The 236 homes will be a mix of two-, three- and four-bedroom properties, with an emphasis on family housing rather than flats alone. Just as important for the wider neighbourhood is what goes between the buildings: the plans include generous riverside landscaping and a walking route designed to run along the water, linking north towards the Fish Quay and south towards Royal Quays Marina. The central dock itself is set to remain as a distinctive open feature at the heart of the scheme.

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The proposed riverside walking route would extend the pedestrian link between the North Shields Fish Quay and Royal Quays, knitting the new neighbourhood into the existing quayside community rather than walling it off.

For the Fish Quay and its cafes, pubs and independent traders, more homes within walking distance means more year-round footfall, and a continuous waterside path would make it easier for residents and visitors alike to move along the river on foot.

Sean Egan, regional managing director for Vistry North East, said the site "exemplifies unlocking stalled development to deliver quality homes while revitalising a major brownfield site." The partners have begun pre-application discussions with North Tyneside Council, with a full planning submission targeted for summer 2026. If approved, the homes would be built and sold under the Linden Homes brand, with marketing expected to draw on the site's shipbuilding heritage.

You can read the partners' full announcement on the Vistry website.

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