Public meeting held to discuss controversial homes plan
A public meeting has recently been held to discuss a controversial planning application in Loggerheads.
The meeting, which was attended by over 50 people, was held at Ashley Memorial Hall.
The plan would see up to 200 homes built on the 12 hectare greenfield site.
Residents argue that this would completely change the landscape of Loggerheads and decimate the view which so many use to benefit their mental health.
Members of the community have formed a committee to focus their efforts.
Recently they hosted a ‘craft and sparkle’ event to raise money to hire a planning consultant to advise them on how best to oppose the application.
Donations are important to the committee to enable them to fund these consultants.
Mucklestone Wood Lane and committee member Caroline Beddow said: “In the words of Bob Geldof ‘we need your money’. In short we are trying to work very hard behind the scenes but we do need donations to come in.”
Leader of Loggerheads Parish Council Andy Swetman addressed the public meeting. He announced that the parish council met on Monday and unanimously voted to object to the planning application
Speaking on the objections Mr Swetman said: “The first point of objection was housing needs. At the moment we have achieved about 115 per cent of the housing needs, if Mucklestone Wood Lane if approved you are looking at something in the region of 170 per cent of the housing needs.
“One of the more obvious items is the fact that the proposed site is outside the village envelope, which is a significant point and will mean something to the borough council planners.
“There are currently four major housing developments ongoing, those four developments are 254 houses, which means it is likely to result in an increase in the population of the parish of about 750 people, they are all going to be looking for GP services which are currently at capacity.
Tower Road resident Alistair Duncan called for Newcastle Borough Council to ‘get their act together’.
He said: “The Loggerheads neighbourhood plan is the current premier planning policy document. Until Newcastle Borough gets their act together and produces a new local plan the Loggerheads plan is the precedent policy document.”
There is currently an online petition which over 1,200 have signed but the public meeting was focused on trying to get residents to formally object.
Currently there are over 112 objections formally raised with the borough council with weeks left to go.
