Staffordshire council adopts local plan setting out guidelines for future developments
Cannock Chase councillors have officially adopted a document that will reduce the risk of speculative housing developments over the coming years.
The Cannock Chase Local Plan, which covers the years between 2018 and 2040, has also reduced the annual housing requirement in the district to 264 in the years up to 2030 and 314 in the years after – and councillors were told on Monday that it would have been more than 500 a year otherwise, under revised national targets introduced in 2024.
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In total, 6,308 new homes will be required in the district over the next 15 years under the new plan. This includes 500 to help meet a shortfall in the wider area beyond the district.
Up to 74 hectares (182.9 acres) of employment land is also earmarked for the district, including 10 hectares (24.7 acres) at the West Midlands Interchange west of the M6.
The document stated: “New development will be well-designed and safe, and will have good access to schools, health services, parks and green spaces, leisure facilities and other services. New development will be accommodated whilst protecting and enhancing the natural, built and historic environment.”
A special full council meeting was held on Monday (March 23) to consider formally adopting the new Local Plan. Council leader Steve Thornley said: “The decision before us this evening is a crucial one – it’s a decision we must make for the greater good of this constituency and the people who live in it.
“If we make the right decision it will defend us against speculative development; it will give the planning committee greater control over what can and cannot take place in this constituency. Not making the right decision will allow greater speculative development.
“It has taken a lot of time to come to this point – I have come in at the back end of this work, which started in 2016 and was delayed for two years. It has been worked on by members of all political parties and officers.”
Councillor Garry Samuels – the latest in a line of six cabinet members to oversee the Local Plan preparation process – said Monday’s meeting marked a significant milestone for the council. He added: “Local Plans are complex and take a long time to prepare, but are one of the most important documents.
“Adoption gives us certainty and a clear strategy for the years ahead; it ensures that development goes in the most appropriate locations, supports employment and investment, safeguards our remaining Green Belt, and protects our natural, cultural and historic assets. It also helps us take meaningful steps towards responding to climate change.
“The scale of work behind this Plan cannot be understated. Members, officers, partners, developers, neighbouring authorities, residents, businesses and many local organisations have all played a part over the last seven years.
“Thanks to this shared effort, we have a strong plan that puts well-planned, infrastructure-led development at the forefront and meets the needs of our district.”
Councillors voted in favour of adopting the Local Plan at Monday’s meeting, including members of the Conservative opposition group and Reform UK. Councillor Paul Jones described it as “one of the most significant decisions we will make.”
He added: “We support adopting this Local Plan because it is in the best interests of local residents. It’s about protecting our residents from unplanned development.”
Opposition group leader Councillor Olivia Lyons said: “I would like to recognise the considerable work that has gone into preparing this plan. Officers have invested a significant amount of time to bring this forward.
“I will be supporting the adoption of this Local Plan. But I would like to place on record some concerns I have, particularly with regard to releasing Green Belt (for development) in Heath Hayes. Green Belt is deeply valued – it provides a clear boundary.”
A report to the council meeting spoke of objections from residents to the release of a number of Green Belt sites. These include land to the east of Wimblebury Road in Heath Hayes, which is earmarked for around 435 homes, the Wimblebury Road Relief Road and relevant infrastructure.
The report added: “It should be noted that failing to adopt the plan will not result in a reprieve from new development, or necessarily protect sites earmarked for allocation in the plan. It may actually have the opposite effect, increasing the vulnerability of sites including land in the Green Belt to development, due to the inability of the council to demonstrate a five-year pipeline of development sites combined with a higher housing target than has been planned for.”
Heath Hayes and Wimblebury ward councillors Julie Aston and Lisa Wilson voted against adoption of the Local Plan on Monday. Green Party members Andrea Muckley and Jo Elson abstained from the vote.
Councillor Muckley, leader of the Green Group, said: “I’m very much torn – I do accept we have a need for a Local Plan and I accept it protects us from additional development we definitely don’t want. But I feel this is a plan that missed opportunities.
“Although the plan talks about the importance of our environment, it talks about releasing Green Belt. I don’t feel I can vote for a Local Plan that misses out net zero.”
