Councillors react to Planning Inspector giving bid to build 150 new homes in Morpeth the green light

An appeal was made by Persimmon Homes last year after its reserved matters bid to build the properties on land west of Lancaster Park was refused by members of Northumberland County Council’s strategic planning committee in the autumn of 2022.

Outline planning permission for the scheme was granted in 2016.

If Persimmon completes its acquisition of the land, a mix of new homes would be provided ranging from bungalows through to four and five-bedroom properties and 30 per cent of the homes would be transferred to a housing association or registered provider of social housing.

Morpeth North county councillor David Bawn said: “I’m extremely disappointed that the inspector has passed these new homes against the objections of the council and local residents.

“We have fought a long campaign to try and prevent this inappropriate and unneeded development.

“As this site now proceeds, we will be keeping a keen eye on it to make sure the developer sticks to its obligations and commitments.”

Concerns raised by Lancaster Park residents include their view that Morpeth has no need for more housing and it would be a loss of green belt land that could be used as productive farmland.

But as set out in the decision report, the inspector – C Dillon – said the appeal focused on “whether or not the appeal proposal would represent an appropriate sustainable design response” and “I have found no basis to conclude that the layout, scale, appearance or landscaping of the appeal scheme that is before me would be harmful”.

Morpeth Town Council also opposed the application and Coun Alison Byard, chair of its planning and transport committee, said: “Morpeth Town Council are not surprised at this approval. However, we are sorely disappointed at the whole development.

“The commercial element and housing are interdependent and should never have been separated into two planning applications. The site was originally green belt and only got outline approval back in 2016 because of the promised ‘Innovation Centre’ for Morpeth with high-quality jobs.

“This was unfortunately insufficiently defined in the planning application and resulted in seven very ordinary industrial units. The pub and hotel have also been reduced in size.

“Although the promise of 30 per cent social housing is welcome, most of these houses are not needed in Morpeth – which is now well above its quota of new housing. Morpeth Town Council has started the process of reviewing the Morpeth Neighbourhood Plan (made 2016) and will seek to demonstrate this and protect the town from further unwelcome development.”