Plans have been submitted to build a new housing estate on a long-empty plot in the centre of a Northumberland town have been submitted for a third time.
Northumberland Estates, the Duke of Northumberland's property arm, has applied for permission to build 64 new homes on land South of Broomhouse Lane in Prudhoe.
The application was originally submitted in 2020, and had asked for permission to build 74 dwellings with 15 apartments in a separate block - but a significant backlash has led to the plans being revised. The applicant is now asking for permission to build 64 dwellings, with the apartment block now removed.
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Formerly an allotment site, the site has been disused for well over a decade after the allotments were moved to other parts of Prudhoe. Despite this, the site remains known locally as the allotment site and the Legion site, owing to its proximity to the Legion Social Club.
Since it was abandoned, the site has fallen into disrepair and is now categorised as scrub land.
The site has outline planning permission for between 70 and 80 homes following a granted application in 2014. However, the plans have proved controversial, attracting 164 objections since it was submitted in 2020. Thirty of those objections have been submitted since the newly redesigned plans were unveiled this month.
A number of residents have raised concerns about the increase in traffic on the nearby Castlefields estate since the opening of the Prudhoe retail park, with fears the new homes would only add to the issue.
Prudhoe Town Council also objected to the original plans due to concerns over traffic on Tilley Crescent, stating: "Construction traffic would use the quiet cul de-sac of Tilley Crescent throughout the development; this is unacceptable from a safety point of view.
"Once developed, 31 dwellings could result in an additional 100 vehicles using this road; this is unacceptable on the basis of road safety and quality of life."
A design statement from the developer states that following the comments, the site has "been further amended to reduce the number of dwellings accessed from Tilley Crescent."
The plans will be decided by councillors on Tynedale Local Area Council. A date for the decision has not yet been set.
Coun Gordon Stewart, who represents Prudhoe South, said: "I encourage everyone who has a view on this application to take part in the consultation process."
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