David Wilson Homes’ bid for a housing development in Walton has been rejected by planners at Stafford Borough Council.
Their planning application for 114 new homes on land next to Common Lane on Walton Heath, with access at the end of Marlborough Road, has been refused by the council’s head of planning and regeneration, Ted Mander.
The reason given is that the number of new houses identified for Stone in the council’s Local Plan can be met from existing development, and that this development would have seen that number exceeded.
Local people had been campaigning hard to stop the development, saying the David Wilson Homes development would be on top of the 500 new homes next to Longhope Drive, plus the planned 84 Taylor Wimpey new homes on the Eccleshall Road opposite to the Longhope Drive development, as well as the Taylor Wimpey development of 215 new homes on Tilling Drive. Residents organised public meetings at The Lamb pub and erected ‘No To David Wilson Houses’ placards in their front gardens.
Stone MP Bill Cash wrote to the Secretary of State and the application was called in by Walton borough councillor Jill Hood for discussion by the council’s planning committee next week (the refusal means that won’t happen). Cllr Hood discussed the rejection at a public meeting at Walton Community Centre on Wednesday night.
David Wilson Homes has a right to appeal, so although campaigners are jubilant, they are wary of fresh challenges ahead.
2 comments
Councillor Mrs Jill Hood
Yet again Stone residents show what a strong community we have in Walton by beating this planning application proposed by David Wilson Homes . I felt so proud to be part of the army which sprung into action against the big boy developers to prevent the building on and subsequent decimation of a beautiful green space. Everyone worked so hard in stopping yet another housing estate which neither the infrastructure nor the roads would be able to take. A big thank you to the Walton 6 you know who you are!
Andy Osgathorpe
I thought it was a very powerful display of democracy in action taken by the residents of Stone. Very well done to you all; a brilliant outcome.