Banks Property unveil plans for major new housing development close to Ashington

Banks Property wants to build 190 properties on a 7.8 hectare site on the south western edge of the town.

And in order to find out what local people think about it, the developer is hosting two consultation events later this month.

Jamilah Hassan, community relations manager at The Banks Group, said: “Our aim is to create a thriving new community that is a positive addition to the wider area, and we’re excited by the opportunities that the Wansbeck Road site provides.

“The project is being designed to bring a wide range of economic, employment, environmental, supply chain and social benefits to the area, while the mix of housing types that it includes will maximise the opportunities for people who want to move to or stay in the area to do just that.

“With so much already happening in South East Northumberland, and so much more planned, there is an urgent growing need to increase the supply of quality homes in the area, so that people can move to or stayin their communities of choice.

"We therefore hope that Northumberland County Council’s planning committee will recognise everything that the Wansbeck Road development offers when it comes to considering our planning application.”

Anyone interested in finding out more is urged to book an appointment to meet with a member of the Banks team to discuss the proposals, ask questions and also make suggestions about how the development might benefit the local community.

The first consultation will take place at Ashington Cricket Club on Monday, September 19 between noon until 3pm, and then from 4pm until 7pm. The second will take place two days later, on Wednesday, September 21 between 1pm and 4pm at Northumberland Age UK’s Round House Café in Lintonville Parkway.

The new development would be accessed by a new priority road junction on Wansbeck Road and would include a range of house types – including bungalows and affordable housing.

Each property would also come with its own electric car charging point and has been designed to deliver a biodiversity net gain of at least ten per cent for the local environment through a range of ecological enhancements.

These could include tree and hedgerow planting, and the creation of wild flower meadows or nature ponds.

Local footpaths and cyclepaths would be improved to make access to the new development easier, as would the Wansbeck Road/Green Road junction, to make it safer for pedestrians to cross the road..

The proposed road infrastructure has been designed to allow a bus to turn within the development, with a view to allowing bus services to access this area of Ashington in the future.

Banks is hoping to organise further local consultation events before submitting an outline application by the end of the year.

If full permission is granted in 2023, it is hoped construction could start the same year and the development would be finished by 2027.

To book an appointment for one of the September surgeries, visit www.banksgroup.co.uk/wansbeckroad or email [email protected]