Holiday units in line for approval despite concerns

The Northumberland Coast AONB Partnership and Newton-by-the-Sea Parish Council both have a series of concerns relating to a proposal for nine linked holiday units at Link House Farm, near High Newton, which goes before today’s meeting of the North Northumberland Local Area Council.

The application site is located outside the main settlement envelope of High Newton, set to the north along an access lane to Link House Farm, a development of converted farm buildings serving as holiday accommodation alongside a working farm to the west.

The new scheme seeks permission for one-and-a-half-storey, timber-clad, two-bedroom holiday units with a slate-covered gable roof and an attached rear store. There would be a deck to the front of the units, which would be set in blocks of three, staggered across the width of the site.

The units would be accessed off an existing track to the farm with parking located outside each property and further parking and turning area to the west of the site.

The AONB Partnership said: ‘The introduction of nine new timber chalet-type buildings to the site would be a visually unsatisfactory intrusion, with the introduction of completely unrelated building style with no reference to the local vernacular’. The partnership also says it is an ‘unsustainable location for new development.’

The objection from the parish council says: ‘It cannot be argued that this development is in the public interest; it will create few, if any, extra jobs and will detract from the enjoyment of the tranquil nature of the area for the vast majority of the public.’