The South East Planning Committee of Northumberland Council is scheduled to meet on Monday 26 October 2026. The agenda includes the determination of planning applications, with a specific application for a change of use at 35 Glebe Mews, The Chesters, Bedlington, Northumberland, NE22 6LJ, to be discussed.

Determination of Planning Applications

The committee is scheduled to consider and decide upon planning applications that have been submitted. This process involves reviewing applications using the powers delegated to the committee. Any objections or support received for applications will be available on the Council's website.

Change of Use at 35 Glebe Mews, Bedlington

A planning application scheduled for discussion is the proposed change of use at 35 Glebe Mews, The Chesters, Bedlington, Northumberland, NE22 6LJ. The application seeks to change the use of the property from a dwellinghouse (Class C3) to a residential institution (Class C2) to establish a children's residential home.

Information available indicates that this application was previously deferred to allow members to undertake a site visit and was further deferred due to a technicality. The site is described as being at the end of a cul-de-sac within a residential area, with the wider estate predominantly consisting of C3 use dwellings. The proposed C2 use is defined as covering residential care homes, hospitals, nursing homes, boarding schools, residential colleges, and training centres. Specifically, this application proposes a children's home for up to three children, with three staff members present at any one time.

During the consultation process, 20 objections were received from neighbours, raising issues including highway safety, impact on the character of the area, noise and disturbance, suitability of the location, loss of amenity, and concerns about commercial waste and crime impact. The Highways Department has raised no objection, stating that no issues arise from the proposal. Public Protection and the Police have also responded with no objections in principle.

Information outlines that the proposal is considered to be in accordance with national and local planning policies, including the Northumberland Local Plan 2016-2036 and the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) 2026. Policies such as STP 1, STP 2, STP 3, HOU 11, TRA 2, TRA 4, P3, and P5 of the Northumberland Local Plan, and S3, S4, HO9, TR3, TR4, TR6, P3, and P5 of the NPPF are noted as relevant. It is suggested that the proposal would not result in physical changes to the site, thus having no impact on the aesthetic character of the area. Concerns regarding noise and disturbance have been addressed by the Public Protection department, who raised no objection. Highway safety is also considered to be unaffected, with the Highways Department confirming no severe impact. Public safety concerns have been addressed by the Police, who have no objection following the submission of a management plan and associated documents.

The recommendation is that this application be granted planning permission, subject to conditions including the commencement of development within three years and adherence to approved plans. Informatives regarding coal mining, legal claims of ownership, and biodiversity net gain are also included.

The meeting will also include standard agenda items such as apologies for absence and the disclosure of members' interests, as outlined in the Agenda frontsheet 26th-Oct-2026 16.00 South East Planning Committee. Further details on the planning applications can be found in the Public reports pack 26th-Oct-2026 16.00 South East Planning Committee.