Glad to announce we received our planning approval part two. In the original planning approval there was a condition that every 3 years I had to apply for re-approval of the classroom facility. This was there to make sure if I popped my clogs the classroom wouldn’t be left to rot as a blot on the landscape! However, what I did not appreciate was that this would involve a full planning application with a £500 bill attached every 3 years. I was not impressed when I learned this, as it seemed a little harsh for our small community project.

To be fair to the Morpeth Planning Department they were willing to be flexible when I approached them with an alternative solution. So now I have agreed that should the land cease to be a nature reserve it is a requirement that I remove the classroom. This seems a pragmatic solution that will not cost the reserve £500 every 3 years, phew!

I also tagged on our wooden hides in this application to replace the original approval for straw bale hides. The straw bale hides just turned into ideal home for our rat and rodent population, not ideal for school kids to visit!