Ponteland homes development plans to be unveiled

Ponteland town councillor Robin Ramsey

MULTI-million-pound development plans which could see more than 1,000 new homes added to one of the region’s most affluent communities are set to be unveiled to local people soon.

Land on the edge of Ponteland and Darras Hall has been earmarked by two separate developers for projects which would potentially transform the 11,000- population community.

The project could also mean major new investment in its services and infrastructure. Government moves to release the shackles on development in the countryside are being seen as one of the main reasons why green fields surrounding the sought-after commuter town are now being targeted.

Banks Property – part of the North East-based Banks Group – is working on plans to build about 500 new homes at Clickemin Farm, to the south-east.

The company says initial proposals will be made public this summer, and claims the scheme could result in improvements to Ponteland’s sporting and leisure facilities.

At the same time, planning experts are working on behalf of the Newcastle-based Lugano Property Group, which is interested in brokering major new housing development and a wider master plan for the future of the town.

It is looking at investing in sites which are said to have the potential for up to 1,000 new homes in and around Ponteland and Darras Hall, depending on the local appetite and support for new building. Consultants acting for the company – whose chairman is Tyneside businessman and landowner Barry Moat – will hold a public engagement event next month to get early ideas on how local people see the future of the town.

This will be used to help frame detailed development proposals for housing, shopping, business and leisure.

The prospect of large-scale new housing was yesterday greeted with concern by community representatives, who say significant benefits will be required to justify such development.

Peter Jackson, one of four county councillors for Ponteland, said: “We have only had a sketchy outline of these proposals, but we think the scale of the development will have a detrimental impact on existing residents.

“The infrastructure of Ponteland, in terms of shops, leisure and other facilities, is inadequate for a community of the current size, let alone for one that is going to get even bigger. We would be talking about concreting over green fields and I can commit to leading the opposition to both of these proposals.”

Ponteland town councillor and former mayor Robin Ramsay said: “Obviously there are some big issues facing us, and we need a solution that is to the long-term benefit of the community.

“With these numbers of new houses, we are also faced with the problem of how it will impact on facilities such as schools and how it will affect the existing regeneration plans for the town centre.”

Brian Prickett, who chairs the Ponteland Community Partnership, urged as many people as possible to attend the forthcoming public events planned by Banks and Lugano.

“We have found it difficult to tie Lugano down to specifics about their proposals, but we believe they have options on land next to Darras Hall.

“We can’t just put another 500 to 1,000 houses in without having an impact on current services such as schools, doctors and dentists.”

Scott Munro, planning director at Lugano, said: “We are interested in the future needs of Ponteland and Darras Hall as sponsors and investors, not as landowners or applicants.

“There are lots of requirements and demands there and we are interested in finding out what local people want to see happen.

“The current town centre regeneration scheme has stalled, there are traffic issues and the statistics tell us there is a significant requirement for new housing in that commuter housing market.”

Mr Munro said Lugano was looking at land with the potential for “anything between 10 and 1,000 new homes”.

“One of the questions we will be asking is whether people in Ponteland and Darras Hall want to see large-scale new housing,” he added.

BANKS Property says its proposed 500-home scheme at Clickemin Farm will deliver a high-quality, family housing development and significant new community facilities for Ponteland.

It has begun discussions with local community leaders and says detailed proposals are currently some distance away. Outline ideas will be discussed at a public exhibition this summer.

Initial plans include a major upgrade of sports and leisure facilities, and Banks has been working with local clubs to bring forward a Ponteland Sporting Club project. The company says the housing development will address Ponteland’s need for new homes, and support the town’s long-term wellbeing by attracting and retaining young people and families.

There is also the possibility of the project providing land and accommodation for employment purposes.

Michael Shuttleworth, managing director of Banks Property, said: "Ponteland has proved itself as a fantastic and popular place to live, but the recent lack of new development and associated investment means that its supporting infrastructure is not everything it should be.

"When compared with other similar settlements, Ponteland has fewer facilities when it comes to sports and leisure provision, retail choice, community and public buildings and family housing supply. The scheme that we are developing has the potential to make a significant positive impact across all these areas.

"The involvement of local people will be central to taking the design process forward, and we will provide every possible opportunity over the coming months for all interested parties to put forward their ideas about how this scheme might be shaped."

Source: Journal Live

Could Pupil Power Ease Ponteland Traffic Troubles?

PUPILS could become traffic wardens for the day in a bid to tackle parking problems on the road outside their schools.

Head Teacher of Richard Coates Middle Paul Rusby said the idea, which he saw being put into practice by another school on television, was among the options being discussed by it and Ponteland First, both at Thornhill Road.

And after concerns that the current traffic calming measures were not effective enough, Northumberland County Council has agreed a re-think and is proposing new ones to try to ease the problems.

Complaints about cars parking along the road and on pavements when taking pupils to and picking them up from school — which parents, local residents and councillors say reduces an already narrow road and puts children's safety at risk when crossing — have intensified since the First School joined the Middle School in 2007.

At a meeting of the Northumberland County Council Area Committee for Castle Morpeth, Mr Rusby said: "When watching the regional news on television, I saw that pupils from Cullercoats Primary School, with the Police alongside them, were wearing luminous jackets and placed reminder notices on cars.

"It appeared that it was effective in getting the message across about the problems caused by parents parking right outside.

"We would have to be very careful to make sure we were not putting any of our young people at risk, but we are being as flexible as possible and will consider all sensible ideas that we see or are suggested."

There are traffic calming measures along the road (20mph limit, speed cushions and chicanes which allow only one vehicle through at a time) to reduce speed, but Committee Chairman Richard Dodd believes there needs to be a change.

The Ponteland North member said: "My daughter goes to Richard Coates School, so I regularly see the problems on Thornhill Road and I think we all agree that we have to do something about the traffic at dropping off and picking up times," he said.

"Measures were put in place to try to deal with that, but they are not working and so we need new ones in place."

Dick Fraser, Head of Policy and Information for Community and Environmental Services, said officers had looked at the site during peak traffic times and decided that the chicanes should be removed.

"If there was only one school in the area they might have been useful but not with two, and unfortunately we have seen people driving faster through them which defeats their purpose," he said.

"We are now proposing to take them out and put in road humps to keep the two-way flow of traffic all the way along the road and we are happy to listen to other ideas to slow traffic down at this stage.

"But this is only part of what is needed, as there are enforcement issues to consider and we are encouraging the schools to educate parents about other parking facilities nearby."

He said there would be be consultation on all major measures proposed, which could also include yellow lines and signs warning cars not to park in the bus turning circle area.
Source: Morpeth Herald