Duke's plans for 60 homes rejected

Plans for 60 new homes proposed by the Duke of Northumberland's property company have been rejected.

Northumberland Estates applied for permission to build the houses at Lesbury, near Alnmouth Station, which included additional car parking spaces and a bus stop.

Since the plans were submitted in 2019 there have been 101 objections submitted by villagers and significant opposition from Alnmouth Parish Council.

The scheme was rejected by Northumberland County Council's Strategic Planning Committee.

Guy Munden, Northumberland Estates' development planner, defended the application and claimed the parish council was the only party that did not support the application.

He added the proposal would "provide strategic infrastructure for the entirety of north Northumberland".

Jenny Ludman, a planning consultant who spoke on behalf of the parish council, said: "Not one single resident that would supposedly benefit is supportive of this plan."

The planning committee chose to vote with the planning officers' recommendation and the plans were refused by 12 votes to zero with one abstention, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Councillor Malcolm Robinson said the fact the application had been recommended for refusal was a "red flag".

"Then there is the strange thing where you can't have the car park without 60 houses," he said.

"That's ludicrous - there have been some strange arguments."

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