A COUNTY councillor has raised concerns about “development creep” in a Tyne Valley village after a proposal was submitted to build houses on green belt land.

Northumberland Estates, on behalf of the Duke of Northumberland, wants to build nine homes on land north of the B6530 road, which will include an access road, gardens and car parking.

The firm has said that the homes at the site, which currently forms part of an agricultural field, would be affordable.

But Coun. Nick Oliver, who represents Corbridge, was worried about the application, which has so far yielded eight objections.

“This has raised a lot of concerns locally,” said Coun. Oliver. “I’ve had a few people contact me already, not just residents from the immediate area, but from the whole village.”

Coun. Oliver said that the ongoing construction of over 180 houses elsewhere in Corbridge, at Milkwell Lane, had deemed any further development unnecessary at the present time. "It is the development creep in Corbridge that I am worried about,” he said. “This is on green belt land, and it is being put forward as affordable. Any additional housing in Corbridge would have to be in the social housing category. This needs to be a planned approach. To allow piecemeal development to encroach on the green belt is wrong.”

In a statement supporting the application, the developer said the scheme would be small scale, and sensitive to the area.

It added: “Features such as the stone wall and mature tree boundary will be retained where possible and then replaced through the proposals, reinforcing the local character of the site.

“The development would be viewed in the context of Corbridge and the surrounding areas of built form. “