Planning application for 99 homes at Potland Burn, Ashington, revived after five years by developer Ascent Homes

Revised plans from developer Ascent Homes now feature 99 new homes on the Potland Burn site between New Moor Close and Portland Terrace.

Ashington Town Council will discuss the planning application at a full council meeting on Tuesday, January 31.

A public consultation was held in November 2017, and the developer says they do not currently have plans for further public consultation.

Eleven new objections have been raised by residents since the plans were revived.

A date has not yet been set for the plans to be decided upon.

Neil Turnbull, head of land and development at Ascent Homes, said: “We are hoping that our long-standing application for 99 dwellings will be determined at committee in the next couple of months.

“We met with a local councillor and the secretary of the parish council before Christmas to update them, and agreed to make a presentation to the parish council early this year.”

According to Neil, the development will bring additional investment to the area and is part of wider regeneration activities in Ashington.

Ascent Homes is the housebuilding arm of Advance Northumberland, the economic regeneration company that works on behalf of Northumberland County Council.

Properties on the former mining site will include two, three, and four bedroom homes, and 10% of the residences will be affordable homes.

Houses on the periphery of the development have been changed to bungalows in the new plans, in an attempt to be less intrusive on the view of existing properties.

An access route to the housing scheme from the A1068 will be constructed under the plans.

Traffic congestion was a point of controversy around the previous iteration of the plans, and has once again been cited by residents in formal objections to the planning application.

Ascent Homes have now pledged a financial contribution towards improvement works at the junction of the A197 and A1068 near the development.

The housebuilder also has developments in Alnwick, Blyth, Wooler, Choppington, and Ellington.

Further ambitions for the Potland Burn site include a biodiversity net gain area.