Larger housing scheme more popular than current approval

At Thursday’s meeting of the North Northumberland Local Area Council, Cussins’ application for 26 homes on land north and east of Lisleswood, off Old Park Road in Swarland, is recommended for approval.

The Alnwick-based housebuilder’s scheme would also involve the demolition of the indoor riding arena formerly related to Swarland Equestrian Centre.

There is an existing private access road serving two homes and the arena; this track would be upgraded to become the site entrance.

Plans to demolish the riding arena and build 15 new homes were approved by the county council’s planning committee in October 2016.

That meeting heard a series of objections raised by the parish council and resident Ken Walters, who questioned whether the infrastructure of Swarland could take any more development.

But the latest application only sparked one objection and Newton on the Moor and Swarland Parish Council supports it in principle ‘as the housing range is better than that agreed for the original 15 houses which have been given approval’.

It also ‘notes that concerns do not need to be raised about drainage, as surface water and sewerage are independent of any other system in the village and will be routed due south, then east’.

However, the parish council does raise a number of other points and concerns, including the desire for a footpath from the northern end of the development into Vyner Park.

The development would feature four affordable, semi-detached, three-bedroom homes, two three-bedroom bungalows, nine four-bedroom dwellings and 11 five-bedroom properties.

As well as the four affordable homes, if approved, the applicant will have to contribute £72,000 for education, due to the high school in Alnwick being 98.6 per cent full, and £3,300 for coastal mitigation (this applies to developments within 10km of protected sites).

Ben O'Connell, Local Democracy Reporting Service