Stafford Borough Council’s planning committee will decide on Friday (22nd February) whether to allow more than 30 houses to be built next to a conservation area in Stone.
Seddon Homes submitted a revised planning application last October to build 34 properties on the land at Nicholls Lane between Stone and Oulton, right next to the Moddershall Valley Conservation Area. Its original application was refused.
More than 80 local people have objected to the plans and the borough conservation officer, the county’s principal archaeologist, a national expert on historic mills and the Campaign to Protect Rural England are all against the proposal. Stone MP Bill Cash has also called on the planning committee to reject the application in light of the “numerous objections” he has received from constituents.
A report produced by English Heritage and Staffordshire County Council in 2009 identified the area as “particularly sensitive to change where an early historic landscape is associated with the listed watermills and associated structures which line the river”.
The developer says the new development is the “natural continuation of the Airdale Spinney development” that was built 25 years ago.
However, Airedale Spinney resident John Sayer said: “The planning committee must not go for the short term gain of 34 properties at the expense of the history and heritage of this beautiful area. Once it’s gone, it’s gone – there will be no way back.”
You can see the planning application and lots more detail by clicking HERE.
- housing
- Moddershall Valley
- planning application
- Seddon Homes
- Stafford Borough Council
- Staffordshire County Council
3 comments
John Sayer
At the Planning Committee this morning – a decision was made to defer the decision until after a site visit. Councillors Farnham & Leason (who are not members of the Planning Committee but are the Ward Councillors) spoke against the development as did local resident Gill Stanford. The Planning Committee were clearly concerned by the heritage issues as well as traffic issues in the area, and decided that they needed to see the area for themselves before making a decision.
Jamie Summerfield
Thanks for the update John, much appreciated. I’ll add something to the site