'We're almost defenceless' - Eccleshall residents speak out about plans that could 'almost double' the size of their town
Eccleshall residents have turned out in force to voice concerns their town could almost double in size in the coming years – and have backed calls for a referendum on the issue.
A petition calling for the town to be protected from over-development has also been signed by more than 1,600 people.
And further measures to campaign against plans for hundreds of new homes were discussed at a packed public meeting held at Eccleshall Community Centre on Friday (July 11). The venue was left with standing room only as residents listened to speakers including the town’s MP Leigh Ingham, borough councillor Jeremy Pert, businessman Martin Peet and parish councillor Chris Wilkins.
A map showing 10 sites around Eccleshall earmarked for proposed development was on display at the meeting, alongside posters urging people to “say no to an extra 1,000 houses in Eccleshall”. The meeting was told that “pre-planning” applications had been submitted for six of the sites, from developers Muller, Bellway, Taylor Wimpey and Bloor.
Sites include land north and south of Shaws Lane, between Stone and Stafford Roads, south of Stone Road and off Green Lane. In total 1,534 new homes are proposed across the 10 sites, residents heard.
Chris Wilkins, who chaired the meeting, said: “It is an amazing turnout and it shows what an important issue it is. The developers want to almost double the size of Eccleshall over the coming years.
“We are facing an unprecedented wave of housebuilding. And the defences we had in the Local Plan and Neighbourhood Plan are no longer there.
“We’re almost defenceless from a planning point of view. The National Planning Policy Framework has been updated and is asking for a five-year supply of housing, but they say Stafford Borough Council has not provided that, and the housebuilding target over one year has gone up under the old plan from 350 to 728 to meet new regulations.
“Developers have jumped on this and they have used it to justify building on every available space in Eccleshall. Stafford Borough Council say they are giving priority to brownfield and greyfield sites, but developers have targeted greenfield agricultural land being used for food production.”
Ms Ingham said housing development in Eccleshall had been the most talked-about topic at a coffee morning she recently hosted in the town. She added that housing was in demand in the borough, with 3,000 families on the waiting list including some with “incredibly high need and people who are vulnerable”,
But she added: “My personal position is it’s the right homes being built in the right place, with the right infrastructure. I push very hard for infrastructure first.”
Councillor Pert, who started the online petition at Change.org, spoke of the existing demand on local highways and services, such as schools, as well as the level of development that has already taken place in Eccleshall in recent years. He said: “We need to look at the structural defects in Eccleshall – we all know the issues around car parking, yet we’re going to put more houses around Eccleshall.
“That seems to me inherently wrong. I’m expecting the first applications to arrive (at Stafford Borough Council) at the end of this month and August.”
Mr Peet put forward the referendum proposal. Speaking before the meeting he said: “It is within residents’ right to be able to hold a referendum in our parish.
“The parish council are on notice to request the referendum which would be an agreed single question with a yes or no answer. The parish council declare it will cost around £5,000 to £8,000 and Stafford Borough Council would have to conduct it – we consider this to be a small price to pay.”
At Friday’s meeting he said: “It’s very easy to do nothing. It’s a lot harder to fight it, which we must all do.
“We accept some building, but this is excessive for Eccleshall. We’re not against all building, it’s just mass building – it will murder the fabric of society we have in Eccleshall.”
