Plans lodged for replacement farmhouse near Alnwick ahead of A1 dualling in Northumberland

A planning application has been submitted for a new farmhouse and farm buildings at Charlton Mires, north of Alnwick.

The existing farmhouse next to the junction of the B6347 is on the route of the planned five mile stretch of dual carriageway between Alnwick and Ellingham.

A planning report on behalf of applicant Martin Beal states: ‘The proposal is for the replacement of the existing farmhouse and farm steading buildings at Charlton Mires due to the imminent dualling of the A1 carriageway.

‘The proposed location of the replacement buildings will be at Chester Hill, South Charlton.

‘The proposed access location has been agreed with Highways England (now National Highways) and is deemed to be sufficiently remote from the dualling works.

‘The new farmhouse is to be a Georgian style and similar to the existing farmhouse.’

The proposed new property is of a similar size to the original.

A £290 million commitment to dual a 13-mile section of the A1 was made by the government in 2015.

The first stretch, between Morpeth and Felton, will see eight miles of road upgraded to dual carriageway; a bypass constructed between Priests Bridge and Burgham Park; and a new subway and bridge over the River Coquet.

The second section, between Alnwick and Ellingham, will include a five-mile portion of highway converted to dual carriageway and a new junction at Charlton Mires.

Last November, highways bosses indicated that works would begin this summer with an ambition to get the dualled section open for traffic in 2024/25.

National Highways had hoped for a January decision from the Government’s planning inspectorate on whether the scheme should be given the final green light.

However, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps asked for more time to consider the upgrade of the route and an update on that is expected on June 6.

In its latest update, National Highways states: ‘Although we are not in any way pre-judging what the Secretary of State’s decision will be, we are continuing to finalise our detailed designs. This is so that, should the decision be favourable, we can progress matters more quickly. Even if the decision is favourable, there are still a few other approvals needed before work can start.’