County Council denies vote, approves own plans for Amble school
Northumberland County Council have denied a request for a committee decision on Amble’s controversial new school plans, instead allowing planning officers to decide.
A decision was due on an amended design, which has a smaller footprint, internal changes and fewer outdoor learning facilities than the version approved in November 2024.
Amble’s new school is due to be completed in 2026.
The request to call in the decision was made by Cllr Arty Hume (Amble ward) after community concerns and objections were raised about the changes.
Granting this request would have allowed councillors on the Local Area Planning Committee to scrutinise the plans and vote on whether they should be approved.
But the Chair of the Northumberland Local Area Planning Committee, and the Director of Planning instead delegated the decision to officers, who approved the amended plans, which, co-incidentally were being built anyway.
The £50M Amble schools investment project includes a new senior school building for James Calvert Spence College, plus renovations and improvements to schools in the wider Coquet Partnership, at the same time as the education system changes to two-tier.
Amble Primary and Barndale by The Sea are now situated in the old Amble Middle School, although problems with the building have affected their first months.
The entire project budget was increased by £11M earlier this year. When local children asked why plans for a reduction in the facilities were being made after building work had commenced, they were told that costs had been made three years ago and were now out of date, and that the amended plan was the one already under construction.
Anna Williams
