Call for development sites in Northumberland

As part of producing a new Northumberland Local Plan, the council is giving people an opportunity to suggest sites for potential use.

This call for sites will help the council to understand where land could exist for a range of possible future purposes and will add to information already held by the planning team.

Sites which could be used for housing, economic development, such as business units, or for mineral extraction, will be particularly welcomed. Those which might be used for retail, leisure or other types of development will also be considered.

Landowners, developers, agents, residents and other interested parties are asked to put forward sites for consideration by Monday, March 12, at northumberland.gov.uk/localplanCoun John Riddle, cabinet member responsible for planning at Northumberland County Council, said: “We are preparing a new local plan for Northumberland which will not only set over-arching planning policies for the future but include detailed land allocations for future development.

“We are therefore calling on communities across the county to come forward with any sites that they think might be suitable for development that will enhance the future of their area and the county as a whole.

“The council already has a lot of information about sites, but we are extremely keen that this plan meets the aspirations of all residents and communities and so we are inviting everyone to put forward their ideas.

“Once we have gathered all this information and assessed it, we will then consult on them widely as part of the local plan.”

A draft version of the new local plan will be published for public consultation later this year.

The removal of the previous core strategy means the local plan, a key document which details where development should take place, is not likely to be adopted until 2020.