Plans for almost 200 new homes in Northumberland village

Detailed plans for 179 new homes in Widdrington Station have been lodged '“ on a site which has outline permission for around 60 fewer houses.
The site in Widdrington Station where 179 homes are now proposed. Picture from GoogleThe site in Widdrington Station where 179 homes are now proposed. Picture from Google
The site in Widdrington Station where 179 homes are now proposed. Picture from Google

A full application for the development, including the diversion of an existing public footpath to an alternative route, on land west of Grange Road and south of Grangemoor Road, has been submitted to Northumberland County Council.

The 5.6-hectare site has been bought by the applicants Gleeson Homes from the previous landowners to develop it for residential use.

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Bordered by homes to the north and east, with Grange View First School and the village’s community centre to the south, the land was granted outline permission for up to 121 homes in February 2017.

Explaining why a further 58 properties are now proposed on the site, a planning statement says: ‘The current application builds upon the site’s suitability for residential development, which has already been accepted, and will make a meaningful contribution to meet the Government’s objective of increasing the number of new homes.’

The scheme is for a mix of two, three and four-bedroom, detached and semi-detached properties, which would all be two-storey so as to be in keeping with the local area, the application says.

Within the site, all of the homes would front onto the main estate road and would have at least two off-street parking spaces. Plus, all plots will have ‘ample outdoor open space in the form of generous rear gardens, also with areas to the front of properties’.

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In line with the contributions attached to the outline permission, affordable housing would be provided as well as £70,000 for the community centre or the provision and enhancement of play equipment in the village.

The site, which would be accessed from Grange Road, is described as ‘situated within a long-established residential neighbourhood that is within easy reach of a broad range of community facilities and which is also easily accessible both by public and private modes of transport’.

However, three residents have already objected to the proposals, raising concerns such as the increase in traffic on Grange Road, the fact that some of the properties would overlook the bungalows on Grangemoor Road, and the increase in the number of homes from the outline scheme.

Ben O'Connell, Local Democracy Reporting Service