Families 'under siege' win fight to stop homes

Plans for 40 houses were recommended for approval

- Phil Corrigan

PLANS to build 40 homes in fields on the edge of a village have been blocked.

Jones Homes and Renew Land wanted to develop the 2.46 hectare greenfield site east of Woodside in Baldwins Gate.

But members of the planning committee at Newcastle Borough Council voted to refuse the scheme, saying that the negative impacts would outweigh any benefits. Seventy-four residents and three parish councils had objected to the application, raising concerns over the loss of grazing land, trees and hedgerows, along with the impact on local roads and services.

Baldwins Gate resident Adam Jenkinson was among the objectors who attended the planning committee meeting. He said the Woodside development, combined with the nearby Baldwins Gate Farm scheme of 200 homes, would dramatically alter the gateway into the village.