Dumping Housing Growth into the South-East of Northumberland will run down the Counties Market Towns.

 For those who have any interest at all in the area they live in they will have shown at least a smidgen of interest in some of the things that pass through their Council at one time or another which need planning permission. You may agree with the changes happening near you or disagree but at least you will have an opinion.

There has been  a great deal of interest shown in planning matters by people on environmental issues in recent years with wind farms and opencast decisions ending up having to made centrally by Government inspectors rather than through the local democratic processes. In Northumberland their Council processes are so far out of date that people often feel let down by the result from planning inspectors. This is the result of Northumberland Conservatives throwing out the Councils core strategy document in 2017. Planners now have to rely on out of date policies from former District Councils which haven’t existed since October 2008.

 

But things have taken a much more serious turn for the worse in recent months as the very secretive Cabinet in Northumberland have got even more involved than usual in ensuring they only promote building in the South East of the County and ‘conserve’ everywhere else leading to the development of no rural growth making unsustainable communities in our beloved and historic Market Towns.

 

Here’s an extract from the Councils technical papers to illustrate the Conservatives wishes where Cramlington and Bedlington will lose out dramatically with much more housing and no growth in new services.

 

2.8 Therefore the Plan aims to focus most development in the more urban south east Northumberland, together with the County’s market towns. However, it also proposes to encourage some development in rural areas to support the rural economy, maintain the vitality and sustainability of communities and the retention of services. The Plan proposes to direct development to locations where it can support, and benefit from the use of existing local infrastructure and facilities, and support economic growth, whilst protecting the countryside and character of settlements.

The secret Tories have also pulled another couple of strokes to stop those who are interested in their communities from telling their Government whether they agree or disagree with changes suggested to the planning process by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government who asked Councils to consult with their communities on suggested changes to the process. Its believed Northumberland whose Portfolio for planning is Cllr John Riddle, who has been named in allegations by leading officers of the Council and is under investigation over land dealings has had the consultation completed and sent back, but did you see it or have you been able to comment on it? We at Murky are aware very few have
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/927157/200805_Changes_to_the_current_planning_system.pdf

 

And its closing date was 1^st October 2020.

 

This consultation followed on with another that had a closing date of 29^th October, the public have also been kept away from this in Northumberland when open consultation was taking place in Councils all around them Northumberland Tories kept this just as secret as everything else that goes on in their ‘Empire of the Sun’ at County Hall in Morpeth.

 

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/907647/MHCLG-Planning-Consultation.pdf

 

It appears that these changes will lead to ever more central control from Whitehall as it places Government hand in velvet glove with the nations developers.

 

For those who voted Tory at the last national or local government elections your loyalty will definitely be tested by these changes which we expect will be rolled out in a hurry by Government and you need to be asking Tory MP’s and Tory Councillors why they wanted building (housing numbers) dumped in the South East of the County and why things can’t be put in place correctly. Is it  because developers have needs towards their shareholders and require the higher profits from developing in the Countryside and popular places like Ponteland and that they in many cases are also huge contributors to Tory Party coffers?

 

What a downright mess Northumberland Tories and John Riddle in particular have this County in?

 

Remember Dissington Garden Village and Clickemin estate well Murky believes they will be back and the Council will have to be less secretive this time!