The West Planning Committee is scheduled to meet to discuss a planning application for residential development and to review a report on Section 106 agreements¹. The meeting will be held at Dene Park House, Hexham.

Land North of Red Lion House, Hexham

The committee will consider planning application 25-01419-OUT for the construction of up to 21 dwellings on land north of Red Lion House on Corbridge Road, Hexham. The application is an outline application, with all matters reserved, meaning that while the principle of development is being considered, details such as access, scale, layout, landscaping, and appearance would be determined at a later stage.

The planning officer, Richard Laughton, is recommending that the committee grants permission for the development, subject to a Section 106 agreement¹ securing contributions towards:

• Health Care (£15,246)
• Education (£48,000)
• Highways Infrastructure (£30,800)
• Open Space (£29,005.05)
• 100% affordable housing on site

The proposed development site is located within the Green Belt and open countryside, outside the settlement of Hexham. The site is currently a green field, bordered by Corbridge Road to the south, the Anick View residential development to the west, a railway line and the River Tyne to the north, and a field to the east.

Hexham Town Council has objected to the proposal, stating that the development is on green belt land, which is specifically intended to prevent urban sprawl, and that the site is unsustainably distant from the town centre compared to brownfield sites within the town.

However, the report notes that the site is in a location with good transport links, including bus stops with regular services to Newcastle, Carlisle, and Hexham town centre, and the Hexham to Corbridge Active Travel Corridor, which provides segregated pedestrian and cycle routes.

The report acknowledges that the development would represent an encroachment into the countryside and would impact upon the Green Belt. However, it argues that the benefits of the scheme, including the provision of 100% affordable housing, outweigh the harm to the Green Belt, constituting very special circumstances.

The report states that there is a need for affordable housing in Hexham, and that the proposed development would help to meet this need. It also notes that the applicant is a registered provider² that is committed to providing affordable homes for rent at this site.

The report also states that the application complies with the 'Golden Rules' set out in the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), as it provides affordable housing over and above the standard requirements, includes necessary infrastructure improvements, and allocates accessible public open space.

The report notes that eight objections have been received from local residents, raising concerns about the impact on the green belt, additional traffic, highway safety, impact to wildlife, lack of access to infrastructure, impact to the listed building at Red Lion House, the availability of brownfield sites, and flood risk.

The report concludes that the benefits of the scheme outweigh the harm of developing on a greenfield site in the Green Belt and open countryside, and that the application accords with the Northumberland Local Plan, the Hexham Neighbourhood Plan, and the NPPF.

Conditions recommended for approval include:

• Approval of reserved matters (access, appearance, landscaping, layout and scale)
• A programme of archaeological work
• A construction method statement
• An estate street phasing and completion plan
• Details of car and cycle parking
• Details of refuse storage facilities
• Vehicular access via Anick View only
• Highways works comprising a shared pedestrian/cycle connection and upgrading of the westbound bus stop
• Details of proposed arrangements for future management and maintenance of the proposed streets
• Technical specifications of acoustic glazing and acoustic ventilation
• A scheme to deal with any contamination of land or pollution of controlled waters
• A report detailing the protective measures to prevent the ingress of ground gases
• A scheme to dispose of surface water from the development
• A verification report demonstrating that all sustainable drainage systems have been constructed as per the agreed scheme
• A drainage management and maintenance plan for the lifetime of the development
• A Biodiversity Metric and a Biodiversity Gain Plan
• Details to demonstrate that the requirement for on-site biodiversity net gain can be accommodated within the proposed development layout
• The layout design of the reserved matters application shall retain and adequately buffer the mature trees
• A detailed Veteran and Mature Tree Management Plan
• A scheme for the provision of integrated, not externally mounted, bat and bird boxes
• A scheme for the specification of boundary treatments between residential areas and habitats
• A construction environmental management plan
• All species used in the planting proposals across the site shall be locally native species of local provenance
• Details of the existing and proposed final site levels
• Details confirming the installation of a full fibre broadband connection
• A scheme to demonstrate how the development will minimise resource use, mitigate climate change and ensure proposals are adaptable to a changing climate
• The proposed development shall include 4no. x 1 bedroom residential units

Section 106 Agreements Update Report

The committee will also review the S106 Agreements Update Report, which provides information on the monitoring and collection of Section 106 contributions in the planning process. The report covers agreements completed during September and October 2025.

The report lists new agreements completed for developments in locations including:

• Land North of Aldi Cowpen Road, Blyth
• Land South of Greensfield Farm, Weavers Way, Alnwick
• Land at The Orchard, Lancaster Park, Cramlington
• Land at Alnwick Squash Club, Bondgate Without, Alnwick
• Land Southeast of Mooredge House, Longhorsely
• The Nightfold, Shepherds Hill, Alnmouth
• Plot 5, Land South of Seabank, Chalet Site, Spittal
• 13 East Ord Gardens, East Ord
• Land SW of Chollerton First School
• North of Honeysuckle Cottage, Widdrington
• East Barn, Guyzance Hall, Guyzance
• Chauffeurs Cottage, Guyzance Hall, Guyzance
• Land to East of Felkington, Berwick-Upon-Tweed
• Land at Colwell Wood, Stiddlehill Common, West Woodburn, Hexham
• Land NW Filling Station Stannington
• Land SW of Hogshead Inn, Hawfinch Drive, Cawledge Business Park, Alnwick
• Land at Seton Hall, Ord Road, Tweedmouth, Berwick-upon-Tweed
• at Westgate Labs Middle Stobswood, Widdrington Station
• 31A Castlegate, Berwick upon Tweed
• Organon, Shotton Lane, Cramlington
• Land at Halton Grove Corbridge
• Berwick Youth and Community Centre, Palace Street East, Berwick

The report also details awards paid from S106 contributions, including £23,740 for Hexham Playzone and £250,000 for Felton GP Surgery.