Resubmitted plans recommended for refusal again

At tonight’s meeting of the North Northumberland Local Area Council, the scheme, for five open-market homes and two affordable homes to rent on land east of Old Hall Farm, is recommended for refusal.

An application for up to five new properties was rejected at Northumberland County Council’s planning committee meeting in January.At that meeting, local county councillor, Trevor Thorne, made a case that the proposed homes’ location would ‘buy into and support’ the sustainability of nearby Swarland, Felton and Longframlington. This new application has been called in by Coun Thorne as he still believes the site is sustainable and the proposal would bring benefits.Meanwhile, a bid to change a section 106 agreement so that a restriction on the sale of a home is removed is set for the green light.

The variation, for a house in Hepple, is recommended for approval.

When the permission for a dwelling at West Croft was granted in June 2005, the section 106 said that it had to be sold to a local person(s) at discount market value. The applicant has set out a number of reasons for removing the obligation and planning officers conclude that it does not accord with current policies.

The application was called in by Coun Steven Bridgett, but the change is supported by Hepple Parish Council, which stressed that this should not be taken as precedent for future developments.