To find out what’s happening next month, click on the link below:
Announcements
Parish Council Meeting – Monday 12th October 2026
The Parish Council will next meet on Monday 12th October at 7.45 pm in Church Cottage, Church Lane.
County Councillor Nick Oliver will be in attendance and will take questions from residents from 7.15 pm. Questions may be put to the Parish Council from 7.30 pm.
AGENDA FOR MEETING TO BE HELD 12 OCTOBER 2026.
COPY OF DRAFT MINUTES FROM THE MEETING HELD ON 14 SEPTEMBER 2026.
Play Park Update
We’ve been asking parents and children what they think about the play park and if it could be improved . The response from everyone is that they love it! It’s a great place to play. Parents would love it if the swings for toddlers and older children could be in the same area so that siblings can play together and it would be easier to supervise the children. They’d also love some seats in the shade!!
The children love what is there but if space and money were no object they would love to see: a zip wire, trampolines, more swings, access to the MUGA court to play football, better access to the river where they play with friends and create secret play areas…
The play and regeneration group has met with 3 play companies so far and have a host of ideas to consider. Equipment is expensive, especially the safety surfaces, so the fundraising campaign begins in earnest in September 2026….
If you’d like to be involved please get in touch.
Autumn Edition of E-newsletter
Our autumn e-newsletter has recently been published, click below to read:
Parish Council Meeting – Monday 14th September 2026
The Parish Council will next meet on Monday 14th September at 7.45 pm in Church Cottage, Church Lane.
County Councillor Nick Oliver will be in attendance and will take questions from residents from 7.15 pm. Questions may be put to the Parish Council from 7.30 pm.
AGENDA FOR MEETING TO BE HELD 14 SEPTEMBER 2026.
COPY OF DRAFT MINUTES FROM THE MEETING HELD ON 13 JULY 2026.
Homeowners’ responsibilities
Northumberland County Council has recently produced a document to help provide advice and guidance to land and property owners regarding their management and maintenance responsibilities for vegetation (including trees, shrubs, hedges) growing on land which borders an adopted highway (including pavements) – A Guide for Land and Property Owners Responsibilities for Hedges, Trees and Verges within the Highway.
They have also produced a document outlining roles and responsibilities associated with flood risk management. Anyone with riparian owner responsibilities may wish to consult the guide. Roles and Responsibilities – Flooding and Drainage
September What’s On Guide
Check out everything happening in Riding Mill this September: What’s On Guide
Summer E-newsletter
Our summer e-newsletter has recently been published, click below to read:
Parish Council Meeting – Monday 13th July 2026
The Parish Council will next meet on Monday 13th July at 7.45 pm in the Supper Room, Parish Hall, Millfield Road (please note change of venue).
County Councillor Nick Oliver will be in attendance and will take questions from residents from 7.15 pm. Questions may be put to the Parish Council from 7.30 pm.
Floodlights – Open Meeting
Thursday 9th July – 7.30 pm Parish Hall
Riding Mill Tennis Club has applied for planning permission to erect flood lights at the double tennis courts in Millfield Road.
The Parish Council has been contacted by the County Council as a consultee and will formally consider its response to the planning application at its meeting on Monday 13th July. Prior to this meeting, residents have requested an opportunity to voice their opinions about the application. Members of the Parish Council will therefore be available to listen to residents’ views, both for and against the proposals, on Thursday 9th July at 7.30 pm in the Parish Hall.
Please note:
- Representatives from the Tennis Club have been invited but their attendance has not yet been confirmed
- Councillors will not comment on the application and no decision or vote will be taken at this meeting. Answers to questions will be limited to those explaining the planning process and the parish council’s role
- To ensure as many people as possible have an opportunity to speak, each person will be allocated a maximum of 2 minutes
Please remember: objection/support needs to relate to a material planning consideration i.e. a factor relevant to the use and development of land that a local council must legally take into account when deciding on a planning application. Planning decisions are based on these public interest issues, rather than any private concerns.
To find out more about the application, please search on the County Council’s planning portal using number – 26/02005/FUL
The website also gives guidance on how to submit a comment and what comments will be considered.
Please note: the Parish Council has applied for an extension to allow it to submit its comment after the Parish Council meeting but residents will need to make their response to the consultation by Tuesday 30th June according to the County Council’s website as this is the final day of the 21-day consultation period.
If you can’t attend this meeting you can still share your views by emailing the Parish Council at clerk@ridingmillparish.gov.uk.
SPEEDING ISSUES – A695 THROUGH RIDING MILL
Parish Councillors are acutely aware of concerns regarding the A695 through Riding Mill both in terms of traffic speed, volumes and the poor and deteriorating road surface. We are grateful to residents for highlighting those concerns in regular correspondence with us.
In light of this, Councillors hosted the former Head of Northumberland Council’s Transport department and colleagues for a walk through the village in November following lobbying by our County Councillor, Nick Oliver; had a new speed survey done; and, bid through the 3-year Local Transport Plan for a package of mitigating measures based on that visit.
Unfortunately it became apparent early in this process that Northumberland Council would not agree to a reduction in the speed limit through the village or any sort of physical method of traffic calming on the basis that the road does not meet the relevant criterias for such measures, in part because of its status as an A road. The speed survey did not show a significant speeding problem.
Our bid for a package of measures to improve the A695 through the Local Transport Plan has however been partially successful. The road surface through the village will be renewed, but not until 2028. We hope to use that opportunity to renew road markings including double white lines at both ends of the village to line up with the 30 mph signs. Red lines across the road in the immediate run up to the village at both ends has recently been done. And Nick Oliver is pushing for a visit by a highways design engineer to see what might be possible using some centrally held funds to supplement this.
Given our ongoing concerns, Councillors will continue to look for opportunities to improve matters should they arise. And residents can help by continuing to submit defects to FixMyStreet.
Andrew Ayre, Parish Councillor
Tennis Club Floodlights Proposal
The Parish Council has today received notification from the County Council that the Tennis Club has submitted an application to install floodlights at the double tennis courts on Millfield Road.
To access details of the planning application, please visit the County Council’s planning portal and search application 26/02005/FUL
The Parish Council will be applying for an extension to the consultation so that it can consider its response to the application at its next meeting on Monday 13th July.
At last night’s Parish Council meeting, it was agreed that a public meeting would be convened so that residents could voice their opinions about the application. This is still being arranged but will likely be held on the evening of either Wednesday 8th or Thursday 9th July – further details will be circulated once a venue has been confirmed.