Home to be demolished and rebuilt to make most of stunning views of the Northumberland coast

Gary and Carolyn Cunningham plan to replace their current home on Riverside Road, which overlooks the Aln estuary, with a four bedroom permanent residence.

The replacement building will still be an ‘upside down’ house in order to maximise views of the estuary, but improve the layout by creating open plan first floor living space.

A number of measures, including a lift, are also planned to future proof the building for elderly and mobility impaired residents.

Parish councillors had welcomed the amended plans, having expressed concern about the scale and design of an earlier application.

The amended plans alleviate those concerns, particularly by reducing the impact of lighting.

These include setting back the upper form sun room so it is less dominant and reducing the amount of glazing to the front of the property, with the use of rendered panelling.

Sarah Winlow, of the Northumberland Coast Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) Partnership, said: “Whilst the proposals do not fit as snugly and unobtrusively into the narrow and sloped plot as the existing 1960s building, the changes in design have reduced the impact the new dwelling will have on the special qualities of the AONB to a degree that the proposals are no longer considered to have a negative impact.”

Northumberland County Council planning officer Jon Sharp reported: “Whilst acknowledging that the scale of the proposed property is significantly larger than the original dwelling, the footprint remains largely the same, with the increase arising mainly through the extension of the first floor and addition of the second floor garden room.

“Amendments to the design have reduced the massing and the introduction of a mansard roof over the second floor allows the property to blend more sympathetically with surrounding properties.

“The dwelling would be seen in the context of a mixture of design styles and particularly once the approved Estuary Drive scheme is implemented, it would not be out of character, rather it would be seen as a modern interpretation of its surroundings.”

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