HOUSING developer Bellway Homes has vowed to make dozens of jobs available in Haydon Bridge if its plans for The Showfield get the go-ahead.

The Newcastle-based firm revealed outline proposals to build 75 new homes at the site, at a public consultation event last Friday.

And at the event, which was well attended at the village’s community centre, Bellway indicated that a formal planning application could be submitted within a month.

Bellway said the project would generate up to 40 full-time jobs during what is expected to be a three-year construction period.

Representatives of the developer told villagers that the properties would be a significant investment in the community.

They said an influx of new residents would make a contribution to the local economy of around £430,000 a year, supporting shops and services.

The proposed site, immediately to the west of the existing Showfield properties, would include affordable housing, although figures have not yet been finalised.

The two, three and four- bedroom, red brick properties will include provision for parking and also an area of informal, open space.

Bellway says the plan fits in with Northumberland County Council’s core strategy, which has identified a need for an additional 200 houses in the Haydon Bridge area by 2031.

A spokesman said: “Bellway proposes to extend and complete the existing housing development at The Showfield.

“In planning terms, the principle of developing housing in this part of Haydon Bridge has been established previously, with the existing development which was constructed in 2008.”

The proposals look set to meet opposition from Haydon Parish Council, which has concerns over drainage at the site, which became saturated during heavy rainfall in December.

Bellway insists a detailed drainage system will manage surface water flow, and control potential run-off from the site to land below, including Land Ends Road.

However, parish councillors also claim Shaftoe Street, which has been plagued by traffic congestion for decades, will become even more of a bottleneck if the scheme goes ahead.

Another fear among councillors is that almost trebling the size of the development would lead to road safety concerns outside the neighbouring Shaftoe Trust Primary School, on Allendale Road.

Chairman of governors at Shaftoe Trust, Geoff Jackson, said the school is aware of the proposals, which will be discussed at a governors’ meeting later this month.

He added: “The school already has good safeguarding procedures in place.

“However, this proposal is for a lot of homes and it’s important that we discuss it before making further representations.”

Access to the new properties will be provided by the existing Showfield entrance, directly opposite the school’s western gateway, on Allendale Road.

If the Bellway proposal goes ahead, it will be the latest major housing development in Haydon Bridge within the past 15 years, after Innerhaugh Mews and existing homes at The Showfield.

The proposal comes at a time when 20 houses are currently being built in a separate development at the west end of Haydon Bridge, at Tait’s Yard.