Banks Property meets Ashington locals to discuss new Wansbeck Road housing development

Banks Property wants permission to build up to 190 family homes on a 7.8 hectare site which will be accessed by a new road junction onto Wansbeck Road.

It therefore held two consultation events to enable local people to find out more about what is being proposed, ask questions and provide feedback to Banks’ design team.

More than 60 people attended.

Banks is hoping to organise further local consultation events before submitting a planning application to the local authority before the end of the year, with a view to it being considered by spring 2023.

The development will include bungalows and affordable housing, and each property would come equipped with its own electric car charging point.

Banks says around 75 jobs will be directly supported on-site during the construction of the new homes, along with a further 63 jobs off-site, and a range of contract opportunities will be made available to localsuppliers for different aspects of the project’s development.

It also says the proposed road infrastructure has been designed to allow a bus to turn within the development, with a view to allowing bus services to access this area of Ashington in the future.

Jamilah Hassan, community relations manager at The Banks Group, said: “Our aim is to create a thriving new community that is a positive addition to the wider area, and we’re excited by the opportunities that

the Wansbeck Road site provides.

“Our visitors asked a lot of questions and put forward a range of good ideas about how this project might be able to enhance the local area, and to have people ask about putting down a deposit on a houseindicates the demand in the local market that we’ll be looking to meet.

“The project is being designed to bring a wide range of economic, employment, environmental, supply chain and social benefits to the area, while the mix of housing types that it includes will maximise theopportunities for people who want to move to or stay in the area to do just that.”For further information on the outline Wansbeck Road project plans, visit www.banksgroup.co.uk/wansbeckroad, and to contact the project team, email [email protected]

• What do you think about the proposed development? Email [email protected]