Annitsford Farm: Wildlife Trust Objects to 310-Home Plan

Homes England wants to build up to 310 homes on farmland at Annitsford Farm, on the northern edge of Dudley, about six miles west of Whitley Bay. The government’s housing agency bought the farm in 2025.

North Tyneside Council’s planning register lists 16 objection comments from the public, plus a request to speak at committee. Northumberland Wildlife Trust has formally objected too. The application will be decided by the council’s planning committee, with an internal target date of 23 October (application 26/01118/OUTM).

What is proposed

The application is in outline, which fixes the principle and the road accesses now and leaves the detailed design for later. The site covers 16.68 hectares of agricultural land east of North Villas and north of Meadowbank. The Local Plan allocated it for up to 400 homes; the application seeks up to 310.

According to Homes England’s planning statement, the scheme includes:

• up to 310 homes, in a mix of 2, 3, 4 and 5 bedrooms
• 25% affordable housing, offered “subject to development viability”
• half the homes built to the accessible and adaptable standard, M4(2)
• two vehicular accesses, from The Wynding and The Bridleway
• children’s play space at the centre of the site, with public open space throughout
• at least 10% biodiversity net gain, with the submitted metric showing 19.52% on site
• demolition and relocation of the existing electricity substation

The transport assessment concludes the junctions will operate within capacity, and records no collisions on The Wynding in five years of data. Bus stops sit less than 400 metres from the site.

What the developer is offering, and what it is not

The draft section 106 heads of terms set out the money Homes England considers appropriate. The figures are indicative and “subject to a viability review”.

• Community Infrastructure Levy: an estimated £472,272 at the zone’s £24.13 per square metre rate, depending on the final floorspace
• Built sports facilities: up to £294,292 on the Sport England calculator, though the document argues the borough already has surplus swimming pool and sports hall capacity
• Footpath upgrade: £60,000 towards the footway between The Wynding and the public right of way to Fordley Primary School
• Coastal mitigation: £151 per home, up to £46,810
• Apprenticeships: one per 30 homes during construction, or £7,000 per 30 homes if that cannot be delivered on site

The most contested line may be the one that is missing. Homes England proposes no section 106 contribution for school places. Its case: the development would generate around 87 primary and 37 secondary pupils, and the schools have room. The document cites 43 spare places at Fordley Primary, 56 at Burradon Primary and a 24-place surplus at North Gosforth Academy in 2025/26. It also notes the council’s own pre-application response did not ask for an education contribution.

There would be no allotments on site either. The heads of terms point to 96 existing plots across four sites in the local area, with a possible financial contribution to be discussed instead.

Why the Wildlife Trust objects

Northumberland Wildlife Trust set out its objection in a letter on the register dated 27 August. The site sits beside Annitsford Pond, a Local Nature Reserve and Local Wildlife Site, and the Sandy’s Letch watercourse, within a wildlife corridor.

The Trust argues:

• a development of this scale would fragment the corridor and harm breeding and wintering birds, bats and invertebrates, with the site also holding potential for badger and otter
• the farmland currently becomes waterlogged after heavy rain and acts as natural storage for surface water, so changes to drainage could affect the pond and the burn
• if permission is granted, the ecological report’s recommendations should be conditions: retained hedgerows, habitat buffers, wildlife-sensitive lighting and a construction environmental management plan

The Trust’s letter also summarises the public objections it has seen: wildlife and biodiversity, flood risk, noise and pollution.

What happens next

The application was validated on 31 July and advertised on 13 August. The latest site notice runs to 8 September. Comments submitted after a deadline can still be accepted up to the point a report is finalised, but anyone wanting to be sure their view is counted should not wait.

The decision will be made by the planning committee rather than officers. The council’s internal target is 23 October, with a determination deadline of 30 October. An earlier screening decision in March 2026 confirmed the scheme does not need a full environmental impact assessment.

What it means for you

• If you live in Dudley or Annitsford, the access plans matter most. All traffic would enter from The Wynding and The Bridleway. The detailed layout comes later, but the access points are being fixed now.
• School places are the argument to watch. Homes England says the numbers show surplus capacity; the council’s education team will give its own view during determination.
• Comments are still worth making. Quote application 26/01118/OUTM and write to the planning service, or comment through the council’s planning portal.
• The Local Plan allocated this land for housing, so the committee’s question is not really whether homes come, but how many and on what terms. Our planning news page tracks the borough’s applications as they move.

Sources

• Application 26/01118/OUTM, North Tyneside Council planning register (status, dates, objection comments, and all documents cited: Planning and Affordable Housing Statement, Draft S106 Heads of Terms, Transport Assessment, Northumberland Wildlife Trust letter of 27 August 2026)
• Statutory notice, application 26/01118/OUTM, dated 13 August 2026 (North Tyneside Council)