Last week we revealed the news of a planning application from McCarthy and Stone for a retirement complex at Crown Wharf in the town.
You can read our article HERE, which featured many views against the proposed development.
McCarthy & Stone have responded with their own press release, in which they say that 73% of respondents to their consultation on the development last year supported their plans, and that the development will enhance the canalside setting in Stone. They also say an independent report published last year found that the homeowners in a typical McCarthy & Stone development spent £670,000 per year in the local economy, with nearly 80% using local shops at least once a week.
The full press release is below…
Plans submitted for canal side Retirement Living accommodation
Following pre-application consultation with the local community during 2014, McCarthy and Stone, the UK’s leading retirement housebuilder, has submitted plans to Stafford Borough Council to redevelop land at Crown Wharf, Crown Street, Stone.
McCarthy and Stone’s plans would see this sustainable, Brownfield site sensitively redeveloped, with a new building inspired by the style of local architecture, delivering 31 much-needed Retirement Living apartments. The plans would also deliver 24 on-site car parking spaces, attractive landscaped garden areas and the retention of Wharfingers Cottage, an on-site building which is currently in a poor state of repair
Prior to the submission of its planning application, McCarthy and Stone held a public exhibition in July 2014, which was attended by over 80 local residents and councillors. This generated a high level of local support, with 73% of the pre-application feedback received supporting McCarthy and Stone’s plans, including the redevelopment of the site with homes for older people, in an ideal location, close to shops and services in the town centre.
McCarthy and Stone also received support for the design of the new building, which will enhance the canal’s setting. In a direct response to local feedback the design has been improved by reducing building’s overall footprint and height, including removing the originally proposed four-storey element.
Darren Humphreys, Regional Managing Director at McCarthy and Stone, commented: “We are very encouraged that our preliminary plans received a high level of positive local feedback when we held our public exhibition. We have carefully considered our design to ensure our proposal will improve the appearance of this brownfield site, whilst improving the range of housing choices available for people in later life.”
The proposal site is ideally located for older person’s accommodation, being within close walking distance to local shops and services in the centre of Stone. An independent report published last year found that the homeowners in a typical McCarthy and Stone development spent £670,000 per year in the local economy, with nearly 80% using local shops at least once a week.
Retirement Living apartments are specifically designed to meet the needs of people in later life and include a residents’ lounge and a guest suite. There is a considerable need, both locally and nationally for this type of specialist accommodation for older people, which will also contribute to the overall housing needs of Stafford Borough Council. According to data provided by the Office for National Statistics and the Elderly Accommodation Counsel, the Borough’s over 65s population is predicted to rise from 25,200 to 42,000 by 2035.
People requiring further information are invited to visit the project’s website at www.mccarthyandstone-consultation.co.uk/stone or contact the project’s freephone information line on 0800 298 7040.
2 comments
David Dumbelton
On behalf of the Trent and Mersey Canal Society I am writing to express our considerable concern at the Crown Wharf retirement complex planning application.
This application describes an entirely inappropriate development for what is a most important site, not only for the reasons already stated by others, but for the canal users as well. The historic wharf should be retained for potential canal-related use and/or for the direct benefit of the town – this application does not do this.
Both the wharf and the boatyard have been an indivisible part of the history of the Trent and Mersey Canal (let alone the whole national network), for now nearly 250 years now; to separate the two whilst at the same time potentially handicapping the family-owned business of the Canal Cruising Company as well turns its back on heritage and is very counter-productive. By placing residential units on a site which is currently commercial and industrial, as it has been for generations, tension is bound to develop between existing businesses and new residents.
Stone is the archetypal Canal Town, arguably the best in the country, and it has gained that kudos not just because of the physical presence of the canal but but by being welcoming to the users of that canal as well. Every year some 7,000 boats pass through Stone, with most stopping, and these 20,000 or so people have considerable spending power which benefits the town considerably By placing a 4-storey visual and physical barrier between the canal and the town centre would be counter productive to this commercial value by reducing the attractiveness of the town from the waterway.
If the development were to proceed a visual barrier of tall buildings, including those already existing, fronting the canal would be what canal users would see – a disincentive to stopping and visiting. Or is the Canal Town to become the Retirement Town?
We urge the community to back the rejection of this proposal by Stafford Borough COuncil.
David Dumbelton
on behalf of the Trent and Mersey Canal Society
Jamie Summerfield
Hi David. Many thanks for your thoughts on this issue