Residents in Hexham have been told not to panic after a council assessment identified theoretical capacity for 2,615 new homes across 36 potential sites in the town.
The figures come from the Housing and Economic Land Availability Assessment, known as the Housing and Economic Land Availability Assessment, which examined land put forward during a “call for sites” for Northumberland’s new local plan.
Developers were invited to submit sites they would like to develop. However, the county council said the assessment records land that could potentially accommodate housing if every proposal were fully developed. It is not a list of approved schemes or a commitment to build on every site.
What the Hexham figure means
The assessment states that Hexham could accommodate 2,615 homes across 36 sites in theory. Cramlington was identified as having capacity for more than 12,000 homes across 34 potential sites if all the land were fully developed.
Northumberland County Council deputy leader Coun Richard Wearmouth said the figures represented the total land offered by developers rather than housing the authority had agreed to accept.
“This is the sum total of what was offered, not what we have to accept by any stretch of the imagination.”
He said some of the sites would be unsuitable and that the council first needed to analyse the submissions before asking the public for views about which proposals were realistic.
“Many of these sites will be totally inappropriate.”
The council’s next stage is to assess the sites and provide information for a public discussion. Residents will then have the opportunity to make representations about the land put forward, including sites close to their homes.
Why Northumberland is reviewing housing land
The county council is preparing a new local plan after the Government increased Northumberland’s housing target. Ministers have said the change is intended to help address the national housing crisis, while the Tory-led administration at County Hall has opposed the increase.
Coun Wearmouth said the council had received developer interest across Northumberland that could create 100,000 additional homes. The county already has around 20,000 homes with consent, he said, meaning the authority is looking for about 10,000 more homes.
He said 10% of the land offered would need to be used for housing, and acknowledged that residents could be concerned when they saw development land near their properties.
“The unfortunate thing is everybody will be worried when they see land next door to them, but the message now is do not worry.”
A colour-coded map showing the potential sites is available through the council’s ArcGIS link. The assessment and map do not determine which sites will eventually be included in the local plan.