Plans for 240 homes on edge of Stone opposed by community leaders
Plans for 240 new homes on farmland on the edge of Stone have met with strong opposition from community leaders as well as dozens of residents.
Richborough Estates is seeking planning permission for the development on land south of Eccleshall Road.
The applicant has said the development would include affordable homes, as well as more than 10 acres of open space, including community allotments and children’s play space.
A planning statement said: “The application site is sustainably located on the edge of Stone therefore would provide future residents with access to a range of existing facilities within a comfortable walking distance, including; first/middle schools and nursery, pharmacy, dental and doctors surgeries, pubs and takeaways, and shops at Walton local centre.”
But Chebsey Parish Council has opposed the plans, saying there is insufficient infrastructure to cope with the development and it will overload the area, on top of other new sites. Members of Stone Town Council's planning committee also agreed to strongly object to the application at their meeting on Tuesday (October 7).
Councillor Jonathan Powell said: “In addition to the 55 letters from residents objecting on many different grounds, there is a call-in from the borough councillor for Milwich who covers the area. Residents raised traffic levels, strain on schools and doctors surgeries – we only have three or four dental surgeries.
“In addition to that there have also been reservations come from Severn Trent Water who have requested a holding objection. They think there will be a bad impact on the local network and treatment works.
“I don’t think Stone Town Council should support it. I won’t be supporting it and I propose we make these points very strongly to Stafford Borough Council; I’m very concerned there has been a green light from Government to allow every Tom, Dick and housing developer to put in applications.”
Councillor Robert Townsend said: “It has been brought into the arena the many valid reasons why this development should not be given planning permission at this stage. Development has got to be done in conjunction with all of the infrastructure.”
Milwich ward councillor Frances Beatty, who has called in the application for consideration by the borough council’s planning committee, has urged members to “consider the detrimental issues relating to this major planning application, one of a series of opportunistic windfall housing proposals across Stone, which in all would add 885 houses in or around Eccleshall Road itself, with a further 300+ across the town.”
She added: “Approval of this application is likely to widen doors to unfettered housing development threatened by a multiplicity of applications. These are arising from the government’s new planning legislation which has seen the eradication of Stafford Local Plan’s approved housing numbers and consequently the managed growth numbers – approved by government – in the Stone Neighbourhood Plan housing strategy.
“The developers claim that this development will create a new community – it will not. With no on site services, no social facilities, it will create a suburban dormitory.”
