Governor’s Garden development gets go ahead

Release date: 10.07.08
Ref: BBC/PR/R&D/16/08

The Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government has backed Berwick-upon-Tweed Borough Council’s decision to grant planning permission for new housing being built on the Governor’s Garden site in Palace Street East, Berwick-upon-Tweed.

Berwick-upon-Tweed Borough Council’s Planning Committee had approved the scheme in June this year. However, Berwick-upon-Tweed Civic Society had asked the Secretary of State to “call in” the decision. The Secretary of State has now confirmed that “intervention would not be justified as there is not sufficient conflict with national planning policies…..the planning, listed building consent and conservation area consent applications should all remain with Berwick-upon-Tweed Borough Council for decision”.

The Council’s Planning Committee approved 21 new dwellings on the site, which is adjacent to Berwick-upon-Tweed’s Elizabethan walls.

Shona Alexander, Director of Regeneration and Development said:
“We are pleased to have the full backing of the Secretary of State for this development which will bring high quality new housing to a derelict site right here in the historic centre of Berwick. We have worked very closely with English Heritage and the architect for the scheme to ensure that the new development will be a real asset to the town, and in keeping with both the Berwick-upon-Tweed Conservation Area and adjacent historic buildings”.