Support outdoor education and community spaces in Morpeth
The Issue
Outdoor education and nature-based learning are essential for children's development and wellbeing. Yet in Northumberland, spaces that provide this are being obstructed rather than supported.
Gather is an example of this, offering forest school education, outdoor play, and community experiences on private land in Morpeth. It operates within existing law, has received support from local schools, nurseries, businesses, and families, and caused no identified harm according to the council's own planning assessment during just 17 days of operation in 2026.
Yet in September 2026, whilst a planning appeal was live, Northumberland County Council served a Temporary Stop Notice on empty land to prohibit the use described above. This was done despite the council's own planning officer finding the very same principle of use acceptable and with no harm identified.
The issue is not just Gather alone. It is that Northumberland County Council is using enforcement powers to stop community spaces that should be encouraged, rather than supported and it reflects a broader question:
Should councils be obstructing private landowners who want to create outdoor education and community wellbeing spaces, or should they be encouraging them?
We, including everyone that also signs this, are asking Northumberland County Council to:
- Withdraw the Temporary Stop Notice and apologise for how this situation has been handled.
- Develop a policy framework that encourages and supports private landowners in creating seasonal outdoor education, nature-based learning, and community wellbeing spaces on their land.
- Work with landowners to understand what policy changes, clarity, and support would enable more spaces like Gather to flourish across Northumberland.
This is about whether Northumberland County Council sees private landowners as partners in creating community spaces, or as obstacles to be removed. It is about whether the council's role is to enable outdoor education and wellbeing, or to enforce restrictions against it.
And it is about whether decisions made by enforcement teams reflect the values and priorities of the community they serve, or override them. The collective 'we' are ready to work with the council.
The question we would like you all to help us ask is whether the council is ready to work with us.
266
The Issue
Outdoor education and nature-based learning are essential for children's development and wellbeing. Yet in Northumberland, spaces that provide this are being obstructed rather than supported.
Gather is an example of this, offering forest school education, outdoor play, and community experiences on private land in Morpeth. It operates within existing law, has received support from local schools, nurseries, businesses, and families, and caused no identified harm according to the council's own planning assessment during just 17 days of operation in 2026.
Yet in September 2026, whilst a planning appeal was live, Northumberland County Council served a Temporary Stop Notice on empty land to prohibit the use described above. This was done despite the council's own planning officer finding the very same principle of use acceptable and with no harm identified.
The issue is not just Gather alone. It is that Northumberland County Council is using enforcement powers to stop community spaces that should be encouraged, rather than supported and it reflects a broader question:
Should councils be obstructing private landowners who want to create outdoor education and community wellbeing spaces, or should they be encouraging them?
We, including everyone that also signs this, are asking Northumberland County Council to:
- Withdraw the Temporary Stop Notice and apologise for how this situation has been handled.
- Develop a policy framework that encourages and supports private landowners in creating seasonal outdoor education, nature-based learning, and community wellbeing spaces on their land.
- Work with landowners to understand what policy changes, clarity, and support would enable more spaces like Gather to flourish across Northumberland.
This is about whether Northumberland County Council sees private landowners as partners in creating community spaces, or as obstacles to be removed. It is about whether the council's role is to enable outdoor education and wellbeing, or to enforce restrictions against it.
And it is about whether decisions made by enforcement teams reflect the values and priorities of the community they serve, or override them. The collective 'we' are ready to work with the council.
The question we would like you all to help us ask is whether the council is ready to work with us.
The Decision Makers
Supporter Voices
Petition Updates
Share this petition
Petition created on 21 September 2026