Major homes bid could get the go-ahead

A plan for new homes has been recommended for approval.

The scheme, submitted by applicant Caroline Strugnell of Bellway Homes NE Ltd, is earmarked for land north of Benlaw Grove, Main Street.

The application will go in front of Northumberland County Council’s strategic planning committee on Tuesday afternoon.

Planning officers have recommended that the scheme should go ahead, subject to various conditions.

These include the applicant entering into a legal agreement in order to secure 10 per cent affordable housing provision on-site and a financial contribution of £250,000 towards the provision of a doctor’s surgery.

The submitted plans propose a total of 80 homes, that would comprise six two-bedroom bungalows and six three-bedroom houses – all affordable – as well as 21 three-bedroom houses, which would be a mix of semi-detached and detached, and 47 four-bedroom detached houses.

However, the applicant has said that a £250,000 contribution to the surgery would result in the level of affordable housing being reduced to 10 per cent – the equivalent of eight units.

The scheme has attracted 19 objections from neighbours on various grounds, including the scale of the development, additional traffic, lack of parking in the village and impact on community facilities, among other things.

Felton Parish Council has said that in principle it does not object to the proposal for 80 houses, but members felt that they could not support the application in its current design due to a number of concerns, including surface-water run-off, foul waste and housing mix.