Developers lose appeal over rejected housing plans in Northumberland village

A Government-appointed planning inspector has upheld the refusal in relation to an outline application for eight one-and-a-half-storey, detached houses on land south of The Manse in Powburn.

The scheme was submitted back in April 2018 before being refused under delegated powers by Northumberland County Council planning officers in August last year.

Their view was that the village is ‘not an acceptable location for new housing development such as this’, which would also fail to ‘recognise the intrinsic character and beauty of the countryside’.

Given the impact upon open views over the surrounding countryside, the officer’s report concluded: ‘It is therefore considered that the impact the proposal will have on the surrounding landscape and environmental character would be considerable.’

Applicant Iconet Ltd then launched an appeal in February, but in his decision issued last month, inspector David Cross agreed that ‘the adverse impacts of granting permission would significantly and demonstrably outweigh the benefits’.

His report sets out that the main issues were the effect of the proposal on the character and appearance of the area and whether the site would be a suitable location for residential development.

On the first subject, he states that homes on this ‘sensitive site would be readily apparent with resultant harm to the rural setting of the village and important views from within the village of its setting in the wider landscape’, concluding that they ‘would harm the character and appearance of the area’.

Mr Cross did not agree with all of the council’s assessment in terms of whether the site is a suitable location for housing, but he does suggest that the scheme conflicts with policies relating to sustainable development and the provision of rural housing.

Pointing out that ‘rural housing decisions should be responsive to local circumstances and support housing developments that reflect local needs’, he noted that ‘it has not been demonstrated that the proposed open-market housing would meet identified local needs’.

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