‘Disgraceful’ planning decision angers Amble residents
A planning meeting descended into chaos as furious residents vented their frustration over the approval of plans for a new housing development in Amble.
Land north of the Gut will be developed into a mix of supported living and residential homes
Locals from Amble branded the decision “disgraceful” while one man claimed he would have to sell his home as he “could not live” next to such a development. The meeting’s chairman, Coun Colin Hardy, was forced to delay proceedings and ask the public to leave as tempers flared.
The plans, brought by the Duke of Northumberland’s property company Northumberland Estates, will see 58 supported living apartments and 40 standard homes built on land at Braid Hill, north of the Gut, with access via Riverside Park.
Despite the fact the plans were recommended for approval by council planners, there had been stiff opposition from local residents. A total of 55 letters of objection were received – although some objectors submitted more than one letter – while Amble Town Council also objected on the grounds that the site is on a flood plain with Riverside Park suffering from sewage flooding during heavy rainfall.
Residents complained that Riverside Park frequently floods with sewage
Speaking at the meeting, objector Paul Dancer outlined residents’ concerns. He said: “I speak for many residents. I urge you to take a decision in the public’s interest and not in the interest of the Duke of Northumberland.
“Management measures for flooding are woefully inadequate. Sewage flooding is a certainty.
“There is going to be a two-year construction period. It will be equivalent to living next to an opencast site – life will become unbearable.”
Northumberland Estates’ development planner Guy Munden defended the plans. He explained a previous application had been withdrawn and reworked to make it more acceptable to council planners.
Mr Munden added that measures being installed as part of the application would improve both current road safety and flooding situations following the completion of a road safety audit and lengthy discussions with the Lead Local Flood Authority (LFFA).
He continued: “There has been some localised flooding on Riverside Park. The application includes measures for an oversized surface water attenuation tank and extra road gullies at the site access, to the betterment of the existing situation.
“There are numerous benefits. The development will have a mixed demographic of residents with the extra care scheme alongside housing suitable for a range of ages and stages of life including affordable housing. It is an exemplar of a what a lifetime neighbourhood can be.”
Officers from the LFFA also reminded members that a development did not have to solve existing flood issues on a site. Rather, applicants just had to ensure their plans did not make the issue worse.
Plans are to raise the surface level of the development as it is in a flood zone. Access will come via Riverside Park.
Coun Trevor Thorne proposed approval of the plans. He said: “It is a very difficult site. It has had its problems but I think the officers have come up with solutions.
“We have a growing elderly population in Northumberland. As regards to the site, yes it has its problems but location-wise it is excellent in that it can flow into the good facilities of Amble which have improved markedly over the years.
“There are problems with the site but our statutory consultees and the planning department are telling us that they are happy. Yes, there might be a flood in 40 years but our flood experts are doing all they can to make sure it is a safe site. We have to recognise the advice and expertise we get.”
Coun Wendy Pattison, the council’s cabinet member for social care, added: “I’m very keen that we have extra care and supported living housing in this area.”
However, not all members were convinced. Coun Martin Swinbank said: “This is difficult – it is as difficult as it goes for planning.
“The need for adapted, supported living is well established and it is in good proximity to the settlement – yet it is on a flood plain.
“I have absolute respect for the officers but sometimes people get these things wrong, and we have seen where it has been got wrong and people’s houses have been flooded. It’s absolutely devastating.
“I’m just not confident that this is going to be enough, and I fear people are going to be flooded out of their homes. I cannot support this.”
The proposals were approved by five votes to two, with one abstention.
The existing pumping station at Riverside Park
Speaking after the meeting, Northumberland Estates’ planning and development director Colin Barnes said: “We are pleased that the council has approved the scheme.
“All concerns raised by residents regarding flood risk and access have been thoroughly reviewed by the Local Lead Flood Authority, the Environment Agency, and the Highway Authority, which also required satisfactory Road Safety Audits. The Council has consistently maintained that the principle of developing the site—previously approved for housing and a supermarket—is acceptable and the new proposals, which include a mix of private, affordable, and assisted living for the elderly, address the needs of the community.
“The site is currently overgrown and partially brownfield, and the design of the scheme will be of high quality, contributing to the ongoing regeneration of Amble. We have also addressed residents’ concerns about access over the Braid; the revised plan removes the need for a road to be built across this valued open space. Overall, this represents a well-balanced decision.”
James Robinson
Local Democracy Reporter Service
This is a badly thought out decision, and carries considerable risk to local amenities, residences and future resilience of this area. The people who have approved this plan today, bowing to the pressure of the Duke’s application, will not have long to see the error of this decision. Destruction of Riverside Walk, the bowling green, traffic issues and probable flooding. And for what end – 40+ small overpriced houses and an independent living block no-one local will be able to afford the excessive service charges.
The meeting was a farce from beginning to end. Our two local councillors were not present; none of the other committee members was a resident of Amble, none of them had even visited the Braid Hill site. It was also completely obvious that none of them had read local residents’ concerns or scrutinised any of the information they had provided; none of them commented on the detailed objections of Amble Town Council or gave any weight to ATC’s very pertinent objections either. The councillors simply accepted at face value everything that NE and NCC staff told them. This is not democracy in action. Time will tell how much of this bland ugly development becomes yet more holiday lets, priced out of local peoples’ pockets, to the detriment of the area as a whole.
You can also make the case that it shouldn’t be the Duke’s land to begin with. Stolen from the public years and years ago. Everything I read about the so called Duke suggests he is a nasty piece of work. The idea of the royal family and the hangers on is so undemocratic and outdated. Government need to make savings? I can think of one big one.