The scheme on the side of the A1 by the village of Stannington will feature a 14m-high curved building, containing the farm shop, a cafe, meeting rooms and exhibition space, and act as a gateway to wooden cabins behind. 

The front of the site will have 63 car parking spots as well as further parking for motorcycles and cars. The scheme will include electric-vehicle charging facilities, while solar panels covering the car parking bays will power the development. 

The main building will have a timber A-frame clad with stained timber shingles, with the building lifted in key locations to create glazed entrances, access doors and windows on either side. At its highest point, the building will have two mezzanine levels which can be used for events. 

There will be a mix of one and two-bedroom cabins for tourists stopping off, either as they explore Northumberland or undertake longer journeys north or south. 

Before it was a petrol station, the site was part of a 19th-century coal mine. An old mine shaft on the site is set to be made safe as part of the development. 

The scheme was submitted in 2023 but has benefited from last December’s update to the National Planning Policy Framework, which introduced the concept of ‘grey belt’ – land in the green belt which has been previously developed. 

It was approved by Northumberland County Council’s strategic planning committee on Tuesday (5 August), with planners at the authority saying it ‘represents very special circumstances which outweigh the level of harm caused to the green belt’. 

Collaborative Architecture director and lead architect for the project John Holt said: ‘It’s been a very long and difficult journey navigating the planning department’s concerns on this sensitive grey belt site in Stannington, but the final planning approval is testament to the exciting nature of this important tourism project for the North East. 

‘We look forward with enormous enthusiasm to move the project forward onto site, hopefully early 2027.’Â