A flagship housing development masterminded by Wayne Hemingway can now go ahead after the Government declined to intervene.

The Red or Dead fashion label founder, who runs Hemingway Design with his wife Gerardine, teamed up with Wimpey Homes to draft plans for 688 houses and flats on part of the 1990 Garden Festival site, beside the River Tyne in Gateshead.

Aimed at offering an alternative to modern estates with identical homes, the plans for the Staiths South Bank development include ten different house styles with unusual layouts like upstairs lounges and loft living areas.

They also contain pocket parks with facilities for all ages and cars have limited access to make the area safer and more environmentally friendly.

In designing the development, Mr Hemingway drew on many of the ideas behind his own house, entitled Home, which has featured on television programmes and in several newspapers.

One of his key objectives was keeping the cost of homes low to make them accessible to the average person, with the cheapest likely to be around £60,000.

Earlier this year, Gateshead Council, which has supported the scheme throughout, approved the plans but referred them to the Government in case it wanted to call them in for further review.

Now the Government has decided that this is not necessary, removing the final obstacle preventing work from starting.

A spokeswoman for Gateshead Council said: "The plans went to the Government office but it didn't call them in, so they are going ahead. "We don't know as yet when work will start."