The Save Beadnell Association has admitted defeat in their battle to stop the controversial plans for a luxury housing development on land formerly used by local people. They are disappointed that their application for village green status has been rejected but have not given up hope that the housing plans will be rejected.
An independent inspector has recommended refusal of an application to have land at The Haven and White Rock designated as village green areas. It is still only a recommendation and still requires approval by the county council’s rights of way committee. However, this is thought to be just a formality. Now this final obstacle has been removed, the Beadnell Harbour Fishermen’s Society hopes their revised plan to build homes on the sites will be finally approved by the county council sometime in the spring.
John Wall, society secretary, said: “We are delighted that common sense has prevailed and justice has been done. The village green application should never have been made given the costs involved and the delay it has caused to the housing development plans. It was clear from the outset that these were not village greens and that the legislation was being wrongly manipulated to block development rather than allowing the planning process to deal with that judgement in the proper way.”
Beadnell Harbour Fishermen’s Society are unhappy that their meagre resources have been exhausted and they feel they have wasted £15,000 on legal fees to defend the ridiculous applications.
The group applied to build the homes with the annuity created for funding the upkeep of the harbour walls, annual dredging, and other maintenance. Buy-to-let investors will be keen to organise landlord insurance on the luxury homes as they will achieve high rental values in such a sort after area. The harbour was gifted to the Beadnell fishing families by Sir John Craster in 1951 and in the last sixty-one years, the harbour’s upkeep has been funded by harbour dues. The Save Beadnell Association are sympathetic to the fishermen’s cause but feel there are other options available to maintain the historic harbour without putting homes in unsuitable places.