Residents and councillors say new farm buildings will ruin character of historic Northumberland village

The proposals, submitted to Northumberland County Council, involve relocating two barns and building new workshops and an estate office at Barnhill Farm, near the village of Guyzance in the north of the county.

They include a new access track, hard-standing and garages, which the applicant says will secure the future of farming at the site.

But the parish council and villagers opposed the plans, as did Historic England. Acklington Parish Council wrote that the site was a “grazing field in open countryside, part of the historic landscape of Guyzance with medieval ridge and furrow markings were clearly visible”.

The parish council’s objection added: “The proposals would harm and dominate the character of the landscape and affect the setting of the Grade II listed buildings in the village.”

Council planners recommended the plans for approval, and believed the “public benefit” would outweigh the harm done to the conservation area. But the council’s conservation officer disagreed with that assessment.

Speaking at a meeting of the North Northumberland Local Area Council, local resident William Byer said: “I speak on behalf of the village residents, every one of whom is opposed to the application due to the damage it would do to the conservation area.

“There is a notable degree of harm to the conservation area.”

Despite the objections, councillors voted narrowly to approve the plans.

Coun Trevor Thorne said: “I do feel this a very ‘on the balance’ application. I know Guyzance very well, it’s a lovely, very special estate village and I would like to see it kept as an estate village.

“Yes it’s a conservation area and it has to be protected, but the farming buildings were built in the Victorian times. They’re little stone buildings incapable of holding modern farming equipment. I know where the applicant is coming from.”

But Coun Georgina Hill argued: “I’m really disappointed. Are we taking conservation seriously?

“If a highways officer was here saying they had concerns, we wouldn’t just ignore it. If we pass this application it shows conservation is just an inconvenience not to be taken seriously.”

The plans were voted through by four votes to three, with one abstention.