Northumberland County Council have produced the first images that show what a new County Hall building might look like in Ashington.  They are revealed at the same time as the council outline in a little more detail, their plan to locate KingEdwardVIHigh School, Chantry and NewministerMiddle Schools, a new primary school and a replacement leisure centre on the present Morpeth County Hall site.

The plans have been drawing criticism from residents across Northumberland with people worried at the £40m + cost of the new county hall building at a time where the council is hundreds of millions of pounds in debt.

Conservative Councillor for Morpeth North David Bawn said, “The plans are, in my opinion, ill thought through.  None of the questions asked of the administration have yet been answered regarding the county hall move. 

There has been no survey of the existing building to see if it is fit for continued use and no proper study of the implications of the move.  This is a huge concern for residents across the county.” 

Conservative spokesman for the Kirkhill ward Dave Herne said, “The councils plans are particularly worrying for Morpeth residents. Not content with robbing the town of its major source of employment, the council plan to jam four schools and leisure facilities onto the county hall site despite it not even being as big as the King Edward VI landholding. 

“At a time when we have an extra 2000 homes being built in Morpeth this plan seems half baked. Have the council studied the implications of 2000 extra families on our schools, can they be accommodated on that site? We all know the answer to both questions is a big no!”  

The council will hold a drop in session for residents of Morpeth to view the latest version of the Northumberland Local Plan (core strategy) on the 9th November at the Corn Exchange, Town Hall, on Monday, from 2pm to 7pm.