Amble Town Council round-up: Parking, speeding and plans for new gym

Coun Jeff Watson says he is continuing to lobby for extra parking in the centre of Amble. He said that the chairman of Arch is due to come to the town to inspect a potential site and added: 'I think there is a possibility that we could end up with extra parking, which would be fantastic, because it is badly needed.'

○ Speeding issues, off-road motorbikes and a footpath-resurfacing scheme – Amble county councillor Terry Clark gave a monthly update at last week’s town-council meeting.

Coun Clark said that he has put £9,000 from his small schemes funding to go towards an upgrade of the footpath along Middleton Street.

He said that he had received concerns about speeding along Albert Street, while police had flagged up an issue with off-road motorbikes and were taking action to tackle the issue.

He added that police have been informed about damage to cars along Charles Road.

Three large potholes along the same road – which had appeared before the heavy snow – have been reported, he added.

○ Coun Jeff Watson said a ‘full in Amble’ sign should be put up, during talks to identify development sites, including for housing, for the draft Local Plan. He said: “Every bit of land that could be used for housing has been used.” Coun Helen Lewis said the green area at Philip Drive could be used, but for social housing.

○ A planning application has been submitted to Northumberland County Council to open a gym at Amble’s Coquet Enterprise Park. The aim is to convert one of the unused units into an exercise facility. Applicant Dan Allsopp says that, following extensive market research, there is high demand for a gym.

○ The pavement along Bede Street, in Amble, is set to be resurfaced and town councillors’ preference is Tarmac. Currently, the stretch is a patchwork of asphalt and paving slabs. Councillors agreed they want one type of surface along the path and thought Tarmac would be the best option, as paving slabs can subside.