Permission granted for rural Staffordshire home despite 25 objections

Councillors have granted permission in principle for a new house in rural Staffordshire – despite 25 objections and a call from the county’s highways authority to reject the application on road safety grounds.

The proposed property has been earmarked for land to the south east of the crossroads of Stallington Road and Hilderstone Road, near Stallington, North Staffordshire and objectors have said it is more than a mile from the nearest bus stop.

The access is off Stallington Road, which objectors said has no pavement, and there are concerns about the speed of traffic on Hilderstone Road and the safety of the nearby crossroads.

Staffordshire County Council’s highways department recommended the application be refused permission, considering the site to be “poorly served by local facilities and amenities”, a report to Stafford Borough Council’s planning committee said. It added: “It is concluded that future occupants would be highly reliant on private vehicle use for day to day activities”.

But the application was recommended for approval by borough council planning officers. At Wednesday’s planning committee meeting (October 21), five members voted to grant permission in principle, with one against and two abstentions.

Salisu Abubakar, who spoke in support of the application at Wednesday’s meeting, said: “Permission in Principle only considers the suitability of the site in terms of location, land use and amount – detailed matters will be assessed at the technical details stage. The officer has concluded that the site can be considered Grey Belt and one dwelling would not undermine the wider relevance of the Green Belt.

“The site is approximately one mile from Rough Close, where residents can access local shops, a primary school and other facilities. An existing footway along Hilderstone Road will provide pedestrian connection and that is about 22 metres from the access point.

“This is a proposal for a single dwelling, making a modest addition to the housing land supply.”

But Julian Ford, who spoke against the application, said: “We believe there are significant unanswered questions about whether this site qualifies for residential development under national Green Belt policy. It’s a busy road, it’s a fast road, with electric vehicles you cannot hear.

“I recognise there is a housing shortage that needs to be addressed, but is one development going to achieve it when there are other more suitable sites around within less than half a mile of this location?”

The application was called in for consideration by the planning committee by Fulford councillor Alec Sandiford. He did not take part in the voting process.

He said: “I don’t think the evidence demonstrates that it is in a sustainable location for a new dwelling. The nearest publicly accessible bus stop is approximately 1,700 metres away.

“Most concerning is the pedestrian access; there is no footway along Stallington Road and it instead relies on grass verges on a narrow lane, allowing pedestrians to step clear of passing vehicles. Members should consider what that means for someone pushing a pram, a wheelchair or an older resident or child walking to and from school.”

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