Northumberland Estates granted planning permission for 54 new homes in Shilbottle

Northumberland Estates has received planning permission to build 54 homes on a greenfield site south of Grange Road.

The proposed development would comprise seven 2-bed, 23 3-bed and 18 4-bed properties. Of these, six 3-bed properties would be ‘affordable’ units.

The application site has previous extant permission for 47 residential dwellings, including 14 affordable units together with a doctor's surgery and some start-up business units at the eastern end of the site, which was allowed on appeal in January 2015.

A separate application for just 47 dwellings was in the meantime refused in July 2014, before the first application was subsequently successful at appeal.

The latest application, originally submitted in early 2022, was approved by the planning department at Northumberland County Council under delegated powers.

It includes a planning condition where the developer pays £243,000 towards education, £120,000 towards public transport and £35,700 towards healthcare.

Senior planning officer Jon Sharp reported: “Development within Shilbottle would bring economic benefits through new housing in the area and in social terms would help to sustain the existing community and associated services, as well as being able to contribute to improvements to existing services. In this context therefore the principle of the proposal is accepted.

"There is no pressing need to permit housing on this edge-of-settlement site in order to meet the Northumberland Local Plan requirement. Notwithstanding this, the number set out in the plan is not a ceiling and so the proposal cannot be refused on such grounds.

"Whilst it might be desirable to secure more affordable units, either through the implementation of the extant scheme, or via negotiation with the developer, the proposal at hand is acceptable within the context of the Local Plan.”

He continued: “It is acknowledged that the proposal would result in further expansion of the village into adjoining countryside, in a similar manner to that which occurred with the development of Farriers Rise immediately to the west of the site and Tyelaw Meadows to the north. However, as with those developments, the application site is considered to relate well to existing development within the village and would not appear visually intrusive or as significant encroachment into the countryside.”