Here is a summary of the agenda for the Strategic Planning Committee meeting on 7 October 2025. The committee was scheduled to discuss a planning application for an extension to the Holiday Inn at Seaton Burn, and to note an update on Section 106 agreements¹. The meeting was also scheduled to confirm the minutes of previous meetings and consider any urgent business.

Section 106 Agreements Update

The committee was scheduled to note a report providing information on the monitoring and collection of Section 106 contributions in Northumberland for July and August 2025. The report, titled S106 Update, included a list of new agreements completed and added to the council's Execom system, as well as awards paid out for various projects. Some of the projects listed to have received awards included:

• Humshaugh Children's Playing Field Trust - £7278.00 for a storage container
• Hexham Priory School - £22646.56 for a playzone
• Blyth Cricket & Rugby - £12,100.00 for refurbishment of the changing rooms

Planning Application: Holiday Inn, Seaton Burn

The committee was scheduled to consider planning application 24/02911/FUL for the Holiday Inn at Fisher Lane, Seaton Burn. The application proposed the addition of a second-floor bedroom block to the north-east wing of the hotel, as well as the installation of solar photovoltaic (PV) units on the flat roofs of the bedroom block.

The planning application documents (2402911FUL) stated that the proposed extension would add 38 bedrooms to the hotel, increasing commercial floorspace by 1,391m², and was estimated to generate eight additional full-time jobs. According to the report, the site is located in the Green Belt, a Low-Risk Coal Advice Area, a Coal Working Referral Area, and within Coastal Mitigation Zone 2.

The Director of Housing & Planning, Rob Murfin, recommended that the committee grant permission for the application, subject to relevant planning conditions and a Section 106 agreement securing coastal mitigation contributions of £5,463.

The report noted that the main considerations in determining the application were:

• Principle of development
• Design and visual character
• Residential amenity
• Highways
• Ecology
• Flood risk and drainage
• Climate change
• Other matters

The report stated that the proposed development was considered to be a limited extension to the existing building and would not be inappropriate development in the Green Belt, in accordance with the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) and Local Plan Policy STP8. It also stated that the materials used were considered acceptable within the context of the visual setting of the area, and would suitably complement the existing design of the hotel.

The report also noted that the County Ecologist had been consulted and raised no objection, subject to a planning obligation and condition. Natural England stated that appropriate measures should be secured. The Lead Local Flood Authority (LLFA) and the Fire & Rescue Service also raised no objections.