118 homes approved on edge of Northumberland village
Developer Galley’s application for a mix of two, three and four-bedroom properties on land north-east of Hebron Avenue, in Pegswood, was approved at Tuesday night’s meeting of Northumberland County Council’s strategic planning committee.
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Hide AdThe scheme had previously gone before the committee in March, but was deferred for councillors to go on a site visit, mainly to look at the access amid road-safety fears.
The meeting heard that the applicant will now provide traffic islands to the east of the entrance on Dark Lane and a one-way priority feature to the west.
Local concerns on a range of issues were voiced by resident Kenneth Bodenham, parish councillor Paul Williams and the area’s county councillor, David Towns.
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Hide AdCoun Jeff Reid first moved refusal of the plans, largely based on over-development – the site is earmarked for housing in the Morpeth Neighbourhood Plan, but only around 61 homes were envisaged. However, council planners emphasised that the neighbourhood plan does not place a policy limit on the number of houses.
This motion failed and Coun Gordon Castle moved approval, saying: “It seems the numbers in the neighbourhood plan are not a reason for refusal, therefore I have a struggle to find any other reasons – that seemed to be the main one. It’s perfectly clear it isn’t wanted, but not wanting it isn’t a planning reason.”
And a slim majority of the other committee members agreed with him.
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Hide AdCoun Rupert Gibson said: “I’m not particularly happy with the density of the houses, but I don’t think we have much leeway to do anything about it – we are going back to planning law.”
The chairman, Coun Colin Horncastle, added: “There’s nothing I would like more than to refuse this, however, when you work through it on planning grounds, you hit a brick wall so to speak.”
Admitting defeat, Coun Reid said: “I’m disappointed that this really good opportunity to add value to Pegswood has been lost by trying to put as many houses on there as possible.
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Hide Ad“Sometimes we have to take a stand on things, let’s not have a Northumberland that looks like everywhere else.”
In terms of affordable housing, the scheme will provide six two-bedroom bungalows for social rent and six homes for sale at discount market value – two two-bedroom and four three-bedroom.
The section 106 agreement will also include contributions for secondary education (£301,400) and the village’s GP surgery (£72,900), as well as a naturalistic play area which is to be built on an open space in the centre of the development.
Ben O'Connell, Local Democracy Reporting Service