Prudhoe Matters

Since the official consultation period ended work has continued in the background by the objectors and I hear the developer has also been preparing their case.

There is an outside chance that the developer will withdraw their application, but I feel this is very unlikely.

I have applied for the application to be brought before a planning committee if the developer does not withdraw their application, and the planning dept recommends approval.

I also requested that if it does go to a committee a site meeting is held, I will describe how this works at a later date if the planning application is pursued.

Both of my requests have been agreed.

I anticipate the application will go before a committee on the 9th December 2025.

See link CLICK HERE

But as always I will continue to provide updates.

What you can do –

If you have a view on the application you can still submit comments to the NCC planning dept and /or the developer.

Update 31/8/25

I had a face to fae catch up with residents leading the opposition.

Updated 3/7/25

Courant report CLICK HERE

Update 30/6/25

Residents can email comments to planningcomments@northumberland.gov.uk if there are any problems submitting via the portal.

Update 29/6/25

A site walkabout was held with concerned residents and some of the PTC Cllrs.

Onsite CLICK HERE

Update 25/6/25

Chronicle report- CLICK HERE

CLICK HERE

Sun 22/6/25

This evening I met a group of residents for 2.5 hrs who are concerned about the proposed development in Prudhoe.

They have started a petition and are encouraging people to sign it, online or in paper form – copies are at various locations around town.

But they wish to emphasis the importance of also submitting views online to the planning dept.

This is above any comments submitted to the developer at the time they sought the views of residents.

Petition

Objection against the proposed development at Highfield Lane, Prudhoe NE42 6EY, by Barrett David Wilson Homes. Ref: 25/01971/FUL.

We wish to register our objection to plans that have been submitted to Northumberland County Council to build 65 dwellings on land adjacent to Highfield Lane. We are objecting to the application for the builidng of any property on the proposed site on the grounds of safety and environmental concerns. The main objections are highway safety and increased traffic impact. Environmental and conservation impact. The refusal of previous planning applications and Appendix A in the SHLAA 2024 document which states that the proposed site is not suitable, not available, not achievable and discounted for housing.

Opened for signatures: 19.06.25

Click here to sign the e-petition-

https://online.northumberland.gov.uk/citizenportal/form.aspx?form=epetition_signature&txt_petitiontitle=Objection%20against%20the%20proposed%20development%20at%20Highfield%20Lane,%20Prudhoe%20NE4%206EY%20by%20Barrett%20David%20Wilson%20

Land To East Of School
Highfield Lane
Prudhoe
Northumberland

Full planning application for the construction of 65no. residential dwellings (Use Class C3) with associated landscaping, access arrangements, parking and infrastructure.

Application Reference: 25/01971/FUL

For further information or to comment on the proposal, please use this link: CLICK HERE

You can make a comment to:

support an application
object to an application
make a neutral comment (to raise a concern)

The planning application is part of a formal legal process.

Information about planning process CLICK HERE

Continue to next page –

Pages: 12

Drowning prevention.

Councillor Gordon Stewart, Northumberland County Council’s Cabinet Member for Public Safety, is pressing the Government to introduce statutory responsibilities for reducing open water risks to members of the public.

The urgent call comes in light of National Water Safety Forum (NWSF) figures revealing how many people have died from accidental water-related incidents across the UK.

With the majority of these tragedies occurring at inland locations such as rivers, lakes, reservoirs, and ponds, Councillor Stewart has highlighted the severe ongoing risks posed by accessible inland bodies of water scattered across the nation.

Councillor Stewart said:

“Every drowning is one too many. Great swathes of landlocked water, such as ponds and lakes across the country, can be easily accessed by members of the public. We need a clear, statutory framework and centralized support to ensure these risks are properly managed, rather than leaving local areas to tackle what are in the main preventable tragedies in a piecemeal way”

Data shows that a significant portion of fatalities involve individuals—such as walkers or runners—who never intended to enter the water, emphasizing that open water hazards threaten everyday public footpaths and open spaces.
This is not a seasonal problem during the summer months it is everyday of the year
Local authorities and safety organisations currently lack a unified, mandatory legal obligation specifically targeting open water risk reduction for the public, prompting calls for Westminster to bridge the gap.
The above along with many groups formed locally following a death, do a good job but a legally responsible body with teeth to change and improve is now vital.

I do not want to Government to just ‘dump’ the responsibility onto local authorities, or charities.

This has to be properly constituted and well funded with a clear vision and responsibility.

Notes

RLSS CLICK HERE

National water safety Forum CLICK HERE

ROSPA CLICK HERE

NFRS CLICK HERE

Preventative – PR examples

CLICK HERE

Housing targets – New local plan.

I believe that Prudhoe (& elsewhere) needs more homes.

The right type, number and location, these should be homes for the future not just houses everywhere for the sake of meeting this Government’s targets.

Northumberland is unique in so many ways and this should be preserved as far as possible.

This is what I will be fighting for in the months and years ahead.

Settlements should not merge into one, this would lose local pride and identity.

Local people or those with clear local links should be given preferential treatment for social housing or discounted market value houses.

See Courant report – CLICK HERE

Our County boundary should keep a clear distance from other areas such as Gateshead. ie fields, streams & wooded areas between us.

What is the local plan ?

The Local Plan sets the main planning policies for Northumberland.

The Local Plan, along with ‘made’ Neighbourhood Plans, forms our statutory development plan. Together these set the rules for where and how new development can happen in Northumberland.

Town & parish councils need to complete their neighbourhood plans as a matter of urgency.

The Northumberland Local plan.

CLICK HERE

Local Councils urged to create Neighbourhood plans (Dec 24) via Chronicle CLICK HERE

13/10/26

This Government’s new housing targets for Northumberland mean the county will have to build the equivalent of Blyth, Morpeth, Berwick and Haltwhistle over the next two decades,

Northumberland will need to build 1,760 new homes a year under the new proposals.

“Local authorities have always had to prepare a local plan – but this time round it is very different.

There is going to be fundamental changes and a massive increase in house building in Northumberland.

Nearly 22,000 houses across the Hexham constituency alone have been indicated by developers in the recent call for sites.

“The greenbelt protection has been removed.

People are going to see houses built in huge numbers in areas they never thought possible.

“Just to put it into context, the new target means we will have to build more than 34,000 houses over the life of the new plan.

“We need people to get involved and take ownership.

The figures below show that developers have shown interest in building houses in the various areas.

Caveat – There is no guarantee that they will progress this to planning applications.

These massive changes are not something I nor the administration at NCC County hall believe are needed, but something we oppose and have had forced upon us (and other local authorities) by this Governments obsession.

As always I will keep people informed, this will be a complicated and long running process.

Slow down –

https://www.hexham-courant.co.uk/news/26616926.drivers-urged-slow-deer-killed-prudhoe/

Permanent banking hub to open at Prudhoe Co-op store

https://www.hexham-courant.co.uk/news/26615017.permanent-banking-hub-open-prudhoe-co-op-store/

HIgher taxes impact upon peoples lives-

https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/leading-north-east-councillor-fears-34720206

Road safety

CLICK HERE

More road safety improvements

I asked that work was carried out to improve the safer crossing of this road.
This has now been done.
Along with surface patching.
I have asked that the white lines in the area be repainted.
The section of this road has a maximum speed of 30mph.
It had been higher but I asked that it be reduced to that speed, this has been in place for a few years now.
Whatever is done, the driver of a vehicle is the only one who can control the speed of their vehicle.
The Police are monitoring the speed of vehicles along this road, and others in the area.
Northumbria Police information
prudhoeroadsafety
https://www.northumbria.police.uk/advice/advice-and-information/rs/road-safety/speeding/
————————

Rural housing issues.

HOUSING LEGISLATION THREATENS RURAL NORTHUMBERLAND COMMUNITIES, WARNS NCC CABINET MEMBER

Landlords and historic private estates across rural Northumberland are increasingly being forced to sell off long-held tenanted properties as a direct consequence of recent legislative changes introduced under the Labour Government’s housing reform act.

The warnings come from County Councillor Gordon Stewart, Cabinet Member at Northumberland County Council, who has raised serious concerns over the fallout hitting rural villages, including historic estates such as Rock, Blenkinsop & Blanchland.

Local families—some of whom have lived in and maintained these estate properties for generations—are now facing the devastating prospect of having to leave their homes as landlords sell off stock to navigate burdensome new regulatory and legal obligations.

The shift is triggering a chain reaction across the county’s housing market, with severe local consequences:

Erosion of Rural Communities: Long-term local residents are being uprooted, threatening the social fabric and heritage of historic estate villages.

some with skills unique to rural life.

Influx of Second-Home Buyers: Displaced tenanted homes are increasingly at risk of being purchased by wealthy buyers from southern England or over the Scottish border as second homes or holiday lets, further Pricing out locals.
Urban Displacement: Families unable to buy their current homes are being forced to move miles away to larger urban towns to find alternative council or affordable housing.
Squeezed Rental Supply: The sudden reduction in available private long-term rentals is placing unprecedented pressure on an already tight local housing market.

Commenting on the crisis, Cllr Gordon Stewart said:

“What we are seeing across Northumberland is the harsh, real-world reality of top-down legislation pushed through by this Labour Government. Ill-thought-out legal changes are forcing responsible private estates and landlords to sell up, destroying rural rental stock in the process.

“This isn’t just about property numbers; it’s about real families. People who have built their lives in villages like Rock, Blanchland & Blenkinsop sometimes across generations—are being forced out. Instead of protecting tenants, these policy shifts are driving local residents toward larger towns and opening the door for wealthy out-of-area buyers looking for second homes.

“We are facing a rural housing emergency where supply is evaporating and local families are paying the price. The Government must urgently rethink the impact these broad-brush legislative changes are having on countryside communities before our rural villages are permanently altered.”

We are acutely aware of an increase in homelessness, including people sleeping in tents, and several people predominately men ‘living’ in campervans and vans.

Each has a story behind them, possibly drink or drug dependencies, or relationship breakdowns, and more now who say they have mental health problems, unemployment rising or just the sheer cost of living.

Help is available for them all, but some are now enjoying the mobile living lifestyle and decline a bricks and mortar residence or other support.

Northumberland County Council continues to monitor the impact on local rental capacity and housing services as displaced tenants seek support across the County.

Notes

https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/north-east-housing-crisis-exposed-34334806

https://www.northumberlandgazette.co.uk/business/new-analysis-claims-scottish-high-earners-could-save-over-ps46000-in-income-tax-by-living-in-northumberland-8827623

Those seeking a home are urged to register with homefinder.

https://www.northumberlandhomefinder.org.uk/#

Advice is available incl via