Residents make final plea to planning inspector as part of appeal process for 150 new homes bid in Morpeth

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.

However, an appeal decision has been delayed. In one of the council’s own documents relating to the application on its planning portal site, it explains that due to an issue with the “third-party notification procedures” it decided that the neighbour notification procedure needed to be undertaken again in full.

This has enabled residents in Lancaster Park to make their case for refusal again and update previous comments and the submission by Susan Starkie, one of the dozen residents to respond so far, includes the following.

“Many new housing estates have been built in Morpeth during the eight-plus years the planning process has been allowed to continue. Morpeth has no need for more housing.

“It is more important that the site should remain undeveloped as it contains the ‘best and most versatile agricultural land’, which may be needed in the future for food production.

“The design of the houses are not of high quality. There is nothing to commend this development.”

Plans for a new service station, hotel and offices at a site east of the junction of the Morpeth Northern Bypass and the A1 by Euro Garages were also turned down at the same 2022 meeting. This is linked to the housing application as building the service station would then provide an access route to the homes.

Euro Garages was successful with its appeal last year. However, this upcoming development has been used as part of Keith Raine’s objection.

He said: “This is not a suitable site for housing, given the noise and air pollution problems arising from the proximity of the A1 and access through truck stop and trunk road service area and filling station.

“Also, there are negative impacts on the valuable natural environment to the east and river to the south.”