A LEADING environmental group has warned that Tynedale residents are being put at risk of unwanted developments on their doorsteps, due to Northumberland County Council’s decision to stop putting public notices in the Hexham Courant .

And the Campaign to Protect Rural England North East this week urged the local authority to serve the community properly by notifying people through their local paper of planning applications being made in the area.

Richard Cowen, chairman of CPRE North East, said: “We view with extreme concern Northumberland Council’s inexplicable decision to withdraw public notices from the Hexham Courant .

“Our real fear is that local people will now not realise what planning applications are being put forward in the Hexham area and because of that, applications which are unwanted and undesirable might get through.

“The simple fact is that the Courant , like local newspapers all across the country, alerts their readers to applications that are being submitted and that is often the first moment that many people hear about plans.

“Once the public sees them, they can oppose developments which might pose problems for the environment, erode the green belt or be unsuitable for reasons that only one or two readers might appreciate.

“So any move which reduces the public airing of planning applications has to be looked at closely.”

The council has responded to its decision to withdraw public notices from the Courant by arguing that public notices are available to view on their website and that they are fulfilling their obligations by putting those notices in the Alnwick-based Northumberland Gazette .

But the controversial move has been condemned by many councillors and community groups who have already called for a rethink.

Mr Cowen added: “The Gazette might have some penetration in the area but nothing compared to the Courant , which is the main way for the vast majority of Tynedale residents to learn about planning applications which might affect them.

“And I would question how many people will regularly go to a council website purely to hunt down planning submissions.

“The change means it is possible for planning applications to be approved without local residents ever becoming aware that an application has been submitted –they are at risk of losing their chance to object.

“It also means that the CPRE may not pick up on applications it would wish to look at.”