Councillors overrule county planners and grant permission for Tea in the Paddock expansion

A packed out council chamber at County Hall in Morpeth applauded the decision of councillors to overrule county council planners and approve plans for Tea in the Paddock’s expansion.

For the Choppington cafe’s 60-year-old owner Una Young, the result felt “absolutely fantastic.”

She said: “I have been blown away by the support that we've had for our business.

“For one little business in a small, rural area, it is just fantastic. And it has come from far and wide.

“When we opened this, we did not know that this little cafe was going to become a hub of the community.

“But that is what the people have made, because they all say this was lacking in this area for so long, and we have hit exactly what people want around here.”

Ms Young had applied for permission to erect a pergola-style covered terrace in order to provide outdoor seating at the site.

But despite significant backing from the local community – 186 sent letters of support to the council, while almost 4,000 signed a petition calling on the authority to grant permission – council planners had recommended the plans be refused.

Officers argued that the site was in the greenbelt, and would not bring any benefits that would outweigh the damage caused to greenfield land by its construction.

Ms Young remains disappointed by the way her application was handled, adding: “It was not very good that the planners did not have any recent photographs of the place because not one of them had been down to visit.

“I was not asking for a housing estate. I was asking for a wooden pergola at the end of the day.

“I know that there are rules there to abide by, but you have also got to see sense.”

Speaking at Monday’s meeting of the Castle Morpeth Local Area Council, Coun Mary Murphy, who represents the Choppington ward, defended the plans.

She said: “My ward is made up of small villages nestled between larger towns which attract funding we’re not eligible for. We are one of the only wards in Northumberland with no cycle lanes, we won’t benefit from the expansion of rail services in the south east, and we aren’t eligible for borderlands funding.

“Tea in the Paddock is an essential business without which Choppington would be even more impoverished.”

Coun Murphy also argued the development would help bring tourists to the area and create employment.

The deputy leader of the council, Coun Richard Wearmouth, proposed approving the application while council leader Glen Sanderson said it was “important to have this type of business”.

Coun Richard Dodd added: “I did like the comment in the application about going into town to get a coffee. Going into Morpeth, it’s hard to park and you still might get a ticket.

“We have the countryside in Northumberland. I know this is in the greenbelt, but I’m looking forward to my tea in the paddock.”

The application was unanimously approved.