Greystonedale Park Road, Haltwhistle

Site within Haltwhistle occupied by a range of uses. A number of existing buildings remain in situ and with the remainder vacant. The northern part of the site consists of light industrial units and associated land, that have latterly been occupied by a number of car repair workshops, storage buildings and a haulage depot. Buildings are likely to require clearance before any substantive residential development can take place. Potential need for remediation given past use. There are also two existing dwellings to the south of the site. The identified yield of around 35 dwellings reflects development at an appropriate density given setting. There is a very complex planning history, with a number of scheme previously proposed for redevelopment, as a whole or in part. The initial application for 65 dwellings was refused in 2007 (T/20061470). Two parallel proposals for alternative schemes were then submitted. Firstly, an application for demolition of 2 existing dwellings and a number of light industrial buildings and construction of a 57 flat sheltered housing complex and a further 9 detached homes was permitted in 2008 (T/20080131). This proposal would have resulted in 64 net additional homes on completion. Another application for a similar scheme, but consisting of 55 flats and 9 dwellings and associated facilities, was permitted at a similar time and later renewed (T/20070559, T/20100529), Ultimately, both of the approved schemes lapsed due to non-implementation. In addition, there have also been a number of applications for small-scale residential schemes to the south of the site, including permissions enabling construction of the 2 existing dwellings, and other schemes that were never implemented. The availability of the site was confirmed relatively recently and residential development is forecast later in the plan period (11 to 15 years). The indicative yield is a reduction on previous proposals. This recognises the likelihood of a more mainstream housing development rather than a sheltered care scheme. The site is also allocated for residential development in the Northumberland Local Plan (2022)