Plans submitted for proposed new Ashington housing development

A planning application for a new high-quality residential development on the south western edge of Ashington has been submitted to Northumberland County Council for review.

Banks Property is looking for permission to build up to 190 family homes on a 7.8 hectare site which will be accessed by a new road junction onto Wansbeck Road.

More than 60 people attended two recent consultation events which were set up to enable local people to find out more about what’s being proposed, ask questions and provide feedback to Banks’ design team which was factored into the final planning application.

The Wansbeck Road development will deliver a range of modern, energy efficient and sustainable house types, including bungalows and affordable housing, and each property would come equipped with its own electric car charging point.

Around 75 jobs will be directly supported on-site during the construction of the new homes, along with a further 63 jobs off-site, and a range of contract opportunities will be made available to local suppliers for different aspects of the project’s development.

It would also deliver a biodiversity net gain of at least ten per cent for the local environment, with a range of ecological enhancements being provided such as additional tree and hedgerow planting, the creation of wild-flower meadows or pond improvements.

Improvements to the local footpaths would allow for easy access to the new development, while enhancement of the Wansbeck Road/Green Road junction would help pedestrians cross the road more easily.

The proposed road infrastructure has been designed to allow a bus to turn within the development with a view to allowing bus services to access this area of Ashington in the future.

The planning application is expected to be considered by Northumberland County Council’s planning committee by next spring.

Jamilah Hassan, community relations manager at The Banks Group, says: “This is a high quality development in a highly suitable location that will help to meet the strong local demand for more new homes and we’re very pleased to have reached this landmark stage in its progression.

“The Wansbeck Road project is being designed to bring a wide range of economic, employment, environmental, supply chain and social benefits to the area, while the mix of energy efficient and sustainable housing types that it includes will maximise the opportunities for people who want to move to or stay in the area to do just that.

“Our aim is to create a thriving new community at Wansbeck Road that is a positive addition to the wider area and we hope Northumberland County Council’s planning committee will be minded to support our ideas when the planning applications comes before them next year.”