Essendene, Kenilworth Road, Ashington

Notes

This was the site of a local authority day care centre which provided specialist support for elderly and disabled persons. However, following closure the building was demolished and the site was cleared. There was no residential accommodation on site. Land since identified for redevelopment and it was considered to offer an opportunity for infill within Ashington. A higher indicative yield would be appropriate given the character of adjacent residential development and the urban environment. Potentially, this could be through a flatted scheme. Previously Council-owned, the site has now been sold and the new landowner has earmarked the site for redevelopment. In 2020, an outline application was submitted for a 58-bed two-storey care home and a single-storey 12-bed specialist unit (20/04423/OUT). However, the site was then been included in the land developed to provide supporting infrastructure for the reopened Ashington Station on the Northumberland Line. These works were permitted in 2021 (21/00387/CCD). Consequently, the application for a care home was refused in 2022 (20/04423/OUT). An appeal against this decision was lodged but was later withdrawn. Subsequently, an application has been made under section 17 of the Land Compensation Act 1961 for a Certificate of Appropriate Alternative Development (24/01548/CAAD). This application is to assist and inform negotiations with Northumberland County Council regarding the level of compensation for the compulsory purchase of the application site. The conclusion was that the notional development for a 58-bed care home proposed by the applicant would not be acceptable due to highway safety issues and lack of an identified need and therefore conflict with policies in the Northumberland Local Plan. However, there are acceptable local scale commercial, retail and leisure uses that would be appropriate on site and a housing development up to 17 dwellings. For the reasons given above, the Council does not regard either the applicant’s notional development or alternative development schemes proposing care homes as being acceptable forms of appropriate alternative development. In conclusion, residential development is not achievable. No longer considered developable/developable and future housing delivery is discounted in the SHLAA.

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