Gateshead Council has recommended refusal for plans for 144 houses on Green Belt at the former Wardley Colliery site, on the grounds that it could set a dangerous precedent for Green Belt development elsewhere.

The application attracted 10 objections and 199 spurious letters of support.

The land is allocated as Green Belt in the Newcastle and Gateshead Core Strategy.

Compare this to the Newcastle Great Park application, where more than 400 people have objected to the Cell A/B1 plans and not one single letter of support has been received.

Despite this, Newcastle City Council has still recommended committee members approve the application next Friday.

The developer Persimmon Homes, referenced in this article, is responsible for delivering Newcastle Great Park.