Councillors disappointed after Morpeth service station, hotel, and business units approved on appeal

Northumberland County Council’s strategic planning committee rejected it in November 2022, but the Government agency has now overruled councillors following an appeal by Euro Garages, the proprietor of the project.

The plans, which consist of a fuel station, an amenity building including food outlets, parking facilities, a 40-room hotel and adjoining restaurant-cum-bar, and seven commercial units, can now go ahead at the site east of the junction of the Morpeth Northern Bypass and the A1.

Morpeth North county councillor David Bawn, who spoke against the bid at the meeting last November, said: “I am very disappointed by the decision.

“The original outline permission granted in 2016 by the then Labour-run county council was deeply flawed and nonsensical. Unfortunately, the current council is hamstrung by this badly drafted original decision and legitimate concerns raised and accepted by the current council planning committee in respect of the detailed permission have been undermined by the terrible original grant.

“The original grant was sold as providing an innovation centre and high-level employment. However, the permission did not define what an innovation centre was or high level employment, so we are now having a bog standard service station with low level small industrial units foisted upon us.”

Morpeth Town Council also opposed the application and Coun Alison Byard, chairman of its planning and transport committee, said: “Morpeth Town Council is very disappointed, but sadly not surprised, that the application has won on appeal.

“Our main objection was that the so-called innovation centre, on which it all originally hung, turned out to be seven small and very ordinary industrial units.

“Members at the county council planning committee meeting were very sympathetic. However, the planning inspector at the appeal pointed out that the innovation centre, despite being named in the title, had never actually been defined or made a condition in the original outline permission.

“Morpeth Town Council feels very let down by the county council’s planning department at the time, who failed to word the original outline planning permission in a way that would ensure development in the best interests of the people of Morpeth.”