Sunday 20 September 2015

Ponteland Greenbelt Update - Core Strategy

Northumberland County Council's local plan is now drawing to a close. It seems in Ponteland at least, our communities have not been listened to. 

Fundamentally I believe in the Greenbelt, and I will always be a big champion of the vital role the Greenbelt plays here in Ponteland and Darras Hall. 

I personally have always supported substantial development of housing at brown field sites like the old police headquarters site in Ponteland and the old hospital in Stannington. However, what I want to see is a plan which is community led, with organic growth in our individual communities.

Residents are rightly concerned that Northumberland County Council's latest plan looks to be imposing a huge growth in housing numbers, with potential for over 2000 new homes, which would increase our local population by more than a third. 

Fundamentally, substantial areas of the Greenbelt are still being earmarked for housing. I have still yet to see any substantive evidence to support the County Council's case for these proposed Greenbelt deletions.

You can read the latest plans from the County Council here: http://committeedocs.northumberland.gov.uk/MeetingDocs/17260_M4119.pdf