Noise fears will not stop Blyth homes being built

Jun 1 2009 by David Black, The Journal

PLANS to build hundreds of homes at a former Northumberland pit look set to be approved – despite fears that families living in them could suffer noise nuisance from a nearby port terminal.

Mining and development company the Banks Group wants to build 327 houses and apartments on the disused site of Bates Colliery in Blyth, which closed more than 20 years ago.

This week county councillors will be recommended to give their backing to the scheme, which planning officials say will assist with the housing-led regeneration of the River Blyth Estuary and get rid of a derelict and contaminated area of land. However, bosses at the Port of Blyth have lodged a formal objection, claiming future residents of the homes could suffer ‘significant disturbance’ from noise generated by operations at the nearby Bates bulk export terminal.

The terminal loads cargoes such as coal, grain and glass onto ships, and port chiefs fear statutory noise complaints from people living in the new dwellings would risk restricting the port’s future operations.

Part of the 25-acre terminal has also been earmarked by green energy company RES for the construction of a 100-job biomass power station fuelled by wood chips.

Port chief executive Martin Lawlor says the export operation is ‘inherently noisy’, and in some cases also dusty. “Bates Terminal is ideally suited for development for a range of other port-related uses such as container handling, scrap loading and metal handling. All of these uses would be significantly noisier.