Revised application for holiday lets in Spittal after planning inspector turns down appeal

The new application by Ben Barraclough is for the change of use, conversion and alteration of existing buildings, including part demolition, to create four units at 58-60 Middle Street. The previous bid submitted in 2022 was for six units.

Other amendments have been made in an attempt to address the recent refusal of the 2022 proposal by a planning inspector.

The first application was taken to appeal due to non-determination by Northumberland County Council, but the local authority did inform the appeal process that it would have recommended refusal if it had had the opportunity to make a decision.

It said the proposal “lacks details in relation to parking” and elements of the design would have “an adverse impact on the wider setting of the (Spittal) Conservation Area”.

Although planning inspector F. Harrison said the plans would relate positively to the character and appearance of the area, they decided to dismiss the appeal on the grounds of highway safety, with regard to parking provision.

Their report, published last month, included the following: “While I acknowledge that there is some capacity on Middle Street and the surrounding streets for additional parking, it has not been demonstrated with any clear evidence that there would be sufficient on street capacity to safely accommodate the parking demands of the proposal and to ensure that indiscriminate parking does not occur. Particularly given that there are sections of Middle Street where parking cannot take place owing to the presence of private garages requiring access.”

The applicant has quickly come back with a new application – reference 24/00408/FUL – and noted the positive comments from the inspector in relation to the design.

The design, access and heritage statement for the revised bid describes the acceptance of having some parking within the site, but balancing it with that not causing harm to the conservation area. This has led to creating space for three cars to park being proposed.

It also includes the following: “We visited the area surrounding the application site on various occasions. It is clearly evident from this study that there are more than enough safe parking spaces within a convenient and reasonable distance from the application site for the additional spaces outwith the application site.”