Cottage Hospital Plans

7.20.00pm GMT Tue 15th Jan 2008

Local residents expressed concerns to their Lib Dem Councillors about possible developments at the Morpeth Cottage Hospital site. They were worried about the proposal for a three storey residential care home situated close to Deuchar Park and the possible extra noise and light pollution at night that plans to temporarily extend the Cottage Hospital car park might bring. David Parker and Joan Tebbutt liaised with Borough Council planning officers to ensure that local residents' views were taken into account when the two planning applications for these developments were decided and they made representations on behalf of residents at the Planning Committee meeting. The continuing uncertainty about the Care Trust's ultimate plans for the Cottage Hospital site as a whole is causing Morpeth residents anxiety. Despite protestations by Lib Dem Councillors, the Care Trust unfortunately went ahead and disposed of part of the site (resulting in these planning applications) before deciding what its future overall use should be.