The Railway Inn Fourstones Hexham Northumberland NE47 5DG Data via plota.co.uk

25/04520/FUL - Full Application Approved

Proposal

Proposed conversion of former Railway Inn into two dwelling houses, including demolition of modern extensions to front and rear elevations of existing building and creation of three bedroomed bungalow on site of former car park Data via plota.co.uk

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View original council record ↗Last checked 24 Aug 2026, 09:20

Street View

Application progress

✓

Received

16 Dec 2025

✓

Validated

8 Jan 2026

✓

Consultation

15 Jul 2026

✓

Approved

15 Jul 2026

Approved on 15 Jul 2026 · Delegated Decision · Last checked 1 Aug 2026

Documents 27

Consultation & comments 15

PDF Commenter’s name hidden Show Representation · 22 May 2026 View ↗

Site constraints 10

Coal mining development high risk area

Recorded coal mining features at or near the surface. Most planning applications here need a coal mining risk assessment.

From the Mining Remediation Authority, formerly the Coal Authority. The development high risk area marks recorded coal mining features at or near the surface: mine shafts and adits, shallow workings, mine gas and former opencast sites. Most planning applications there need a coal mining risk assessment; householder applications, changes of use and some minor works are exempt. Mine entry positions come from old plans and can be out by several metres, and unrecorded workings can exist anywhere in the coalfield.

Coal mining risk assessments ↗

Public footpath 17 m away

Matters where it crosses or adjoins the site: obstructing a path without a diversion order is an offence, and work cannot start until the order is confirmed.

Compiled from highway authority data, not the legal definitive map. A few authorities have not published, so no path shown is not proof there is none.

Agricultural land, grade 3b

Not best and most versatile land (grades 1, 2 and 3a). Source: the Predictive Agricultural Land Classification Map (Defra and Natural England, 2025; the Welsh Government's Predictive ALC Map 2 in Wales), a model rather than a site survey. Natural England's Provisional ALC map (1:250,000, 1970s) agrees.

Where development of farmland is needed, policy prefers poorer land over the best and most versatile (grades 1, 2 and 3a). Three sources: Natural England's post-1988 field surveys, which are definitive where they exist; the Defra predictive map for England (2025) and the Welsh Government predictive map, modelled from the soil map with 3a and 3b split; and the 1970s provisional map, which planners and other services still show, coarser and with grade 3 undivided. Where the provisional and predicted grades disagree, treat the predicted grade as the current estimate and expect an application to carry its own survey.

Habitat network: Network Expansion Zone

Where habitat is joined up enough to work as a network. Context, not a constraint on its own.

Radon affected area, class 5

An estimated 10 to 30% of homes reach the radon action level. Indicative for the 1 km square, which takes the highest class found in it; a radon test gives the answer for a building.

From the British Geological Survey and UK Health Security Agency indicative atlas. Under building regulations, as the BRE guide BR 211 (2023) sets out, new buildings and extensions need basic radon protection from class 3 in England and Wales and from class 2 in Scotland, and full protection from class 5. The class at the site itself, from the detailed BGS map, decides which.

UKHSA radon ↗

1 listed building within 150 m

Nearest: Former Station Masters House, Grade II, 28 m away

The site itself is not listed. Listed building consent is needed for work that affects the special interest of a listed building, inside or out, on top of planning permission. Setting can be a consideration for buildings nearby; there is no fixed radius.

Historic England ↗

Also on the record

Special area of conservation 437 m away: Tyne & Allen River Gravels; SSSI 437 m away: Wharmley Riverside SSSI; National infrastructure project 482 m away: Ray II Wind Farm, at pre-application; Green belt 39 m away: Tyne and Wear.

Not affected

Outside flood zones 2 and 3 · No scheduled monument at the site

Checked on 6 October 2026. Historic England, the Environment Agency, Natural England, the Mining Remediation Authority, the Planning Inspectorate, the British Geological Survey and UK Health Security Agency (radon, contains BGS materials © UKRI) and council datasets, Open Government Licence. A boundary can run through a site and the council holds the definitive record: confirm with the council before relying on this.

Sales history 3

Last sold for £118,000 in May 2014. Other property, freehold.

More than one property is recorded at this address: HM Land Registry does not always give the flat or unit.

27 May 2014£118,000Recorded as a transfer outside a standard sale

5 June 2000£115,000Detached house

9 December 1996£87,000Detached house

Sale prices from HM Land Registry's price paid record, matched to this application by its address.

Building

Floor area328 m² (3,531 sq ft)

Energy ratingD (asset rating 92)

UseA3/A4/A5 Restaurant and Cafes/Drinking Establishments and Hot Food takeaways

HeatingHeating and Natural Ventilation

From the energy performance certificate lodged in October 2012, the latest held for this property. The building may have changed since. View the certificate

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Important details

Council: Northumberland (County)
Application type: Full Application
Postcode: NE47 5DG
Received: 16 Dec 2025
Validated: 8 Jan 2026
Ward: Humshaugh
Parish: Warden
Case officer: Show
Target decision: 5 Feb 2026
Decision: Application Permitted
Decision date: 15 Jul 2026
Decision level: Delegated Decision
Applicant: Show
Agent: Doonan Architects Ltd
Freehold owner: Show

How this decision compares

Decided in 188 days from validation, 128 days slower than Northumberland (County)'s median of 60 for changes of use. Approved, as 82% of changes of use here are.

This one188d

Council60d

UK56d

44%decided within 8 weeks

82%approved

155decided in the last year

Plota live figures for changes of use decided by Northumberland (County) in the last twelve months, from validation. Northumberland (County) decision record →

Public comments

9comments received

7 objecting1 neutral1 supporting

78% object · above the UK average of 74%

8 neighbours consulted · Last counted 1 Aug 2026

Read the comments on the council site ↗

Consultation & key dates

Alt. reference: PP-14335153
Planning Portal ref: PP-14335153
Neighbours: 8 Jan 2026
Consultation: 15 Jul 2026
Comments by: 15 Jul 2026
Site or press notice: 15 Jan 2026
Statutory expiry: 5 Feb 2026
Env. assessment: No

Historical activity at this location

5 previous applications on record - archival context, not part of the live application.

This property

Previous applications at this address

2018 Refused

Change of use and conversion of the Railway Inn Public House (Class A4) to a single resid…

18/02349/FUL 10 Apr 2019

2017 Refused

Proposed conversion of Railway Inn Public House inc managers flat to 1 new dwelling.

17/01323/FUL 19 Dec 2017

Within ~100m

Nearby activity

2024

The Railway Inn Fourstones Northumberland NE47 5DG

Proposed change of use of the former Railway Inn into two dwelling houses, including the…

24/02937/FUL 23 Aug 2024

2022 Approved

1 Jubilee Terrace Fourstones Hexham Northumberland NE47 5DE

Install a new overhead line along the path of the existing network, replacing the open wi…

22/02235/ELEGDO 25 Jul 2022

2021 Approved

Railway Cottage Broadway Gardens Fourstones Hexham Northumberland NE47 5DG

New sunroom and windows on the main house and new garage in the garden

21/00740/FUL 24 Jun 2021

Northumberland (County)

Planning Authority Score

3.8/10

Below average

#207 of 296 councils

Relevant to this application:

Householder decisions

Northumberland (County) ranks #167 out of 296 councils for householder decision speed. 47% of applications have the time limit extended, above the 41% national average. Householder applications are slightly more likely to be approved here (91%) than the national average (90%).

These figures are council-wide context, not a prediction for this application. View full council performance

Northumberland (County) decision statistics

Based on MHCLG data, the year to March 2026

88%

Overall approval rate

Above avg (87%) #158 of 296

91%

Householder approved

Above avg (90%) #178 of 296

62%

Decided in 8 weeks

Below avg (63%) #167 of 296

47%

Extended time limit

Above avg (41%) #210 of 296

80%

Minor dwellings approved

223 decided (1-9 homes)

89%

Major dwellings approved

36 decided (10+ homes)

86%

Change of use approved

71 decided

2,013

Total decisions

233 refused in the year to March 2026

Energy performance: Energy performance certificates from the Energy Performance of Buildings Register, Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. © Crown copyright 2026.