Northumberland County Council outlines ambitious plans to create 'healthy housing'

Cllr Colin Horncastle, at a meeting of the council’s health and wellbeing board, said: “This is stepping up from the past into the future. If you think about the way local authorities have worked in the past, we have different departments such as housing, highways and finance.

“They all do their job and they do it very well – but how many times have we said they need to talk to each other – and that is what this is all about. We have got to look at the implications of large planning applications and new housing estates.

“What can we do to make sure the people who end up living in them have a better life experience? We have to look at areas like a public area, green spaces, all those things to give people a better life.

“I’m sure we can make it work – it’s a new concept but if we look at other departments in the council, there’s no reason at all planning can’t get involved and make a better life for people.”

Director of planning, Rob Murfin, added: “It is a real challenge, I want to make that clear up front. We do refuse applications on the basis of things like flood risk and design, but it is a test of ‘are things bad enough to refuse?’ We want to get schemes that are good enough to approve.

“Good quality homes are key to a good quality life.”