Residents vow to fight plans for massive industrial development south of Stone

Residents and community leaders have vowed to fight plans to turn farmland south of Stone into a massive industrial development.

Land promoter Richborough is proposing an industrial, logistics and manufacturing site development for 192 acres of land next to Stone Business Park.

A planning application has yet to be submitted to Stafford Borough Council. But the proposals have already met with fierce opposition from those living nearby, who have already seen a giant warehouse deemed a “blot on the landscape” constructed at the business park and a 55-acre vehicle storage compound for luxury car maker Jaguar Land Rover created in recent years.
An online petition at Change.org, titled Save Rural Stone, has gained more than 600 signatures. And residents were urged to support a campaign group being formed to fight the plans.
Dozens of people attended a public meeting at Aston-by-Stone Village Hall on Friday (November 29). Resident Simon Bell led the meeting and other speakers included Stafford Borough and Staffordshire County councillors, as well as members of Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE).

Mr Bell said: “I believe Aston-By-Stone requires its green land for farming, not for warehouses at the side of an industrial estate. You deserve better than that and that’s why we are proposing to put a committee together.

“We have one aim, and that’s to fight what is going to be a horrid, disgusting intrusion on green farmland. If you lose that land to concrete buildings you will never get it back.”

Sir Gavin Williamson, who became Stone’s MP in July, also attended the meeting, which was held just hours after he was in London to vote against a bill to legalise assisted dying. Speaking about the proposed industrial development, earmarked for land on the opposite side of the A34 to the village hall, he said: “There are so many unanswered questions people have.

“There have been so many residents – not just people in Aston-by-Stone but people in Stone and further afield – have seen what the potential could look like along the A34. That horrendous big monstrosity, in my opinion, should never have had permission to be built.

“We are looking at a ribbon of development that will go up there and in a few years’ time we will see development on this side of the A34. It’s not only wrong for the village and the town, it’s just wrong for the whole area.

“They will put in an application into the borough council and I hope it’s opposed and rejected. I hope it’s made clear by the borough council there is no need or demand for this type of development here.

“But they will appeal it and take it to the Secretary of State. What I can promise you is I will work with you, fight by your side and do what I can to make sure it is rejected.”

Richborough has said on its website that the land could provide up to 1.5m sq ft of accommodation “for the increasing national demand for industrial, logistics and manufacturing space”. It has also highlighted its “excellent transport links” and location next to the A34, less than 10 minutes’ drive from junction 14 of the M6.

Nick Jones , Group Director of Richborough Commercial, said: “Richborough will seek to address concerns that the residents may have.

“Richborough has an interest in land to the south of Stone Industrial Park, and as an experienced promoter, has a strong track record of working with councils and communities to deliver successful economic growth and development.  We have ambitions to promote the land for sustainable economic development to deliver new high quality commercial buildings, in a landscaped setting, to provide space for local businesses and inward investment.

“We are keen to understand the local community and business community’s views, in particular on how Stone might grow as a town, the type of development needed, the role the land can play in meeting such needs, and how development benefits can be maximised for the town and local community.  We plan to reach out to the community through an engagement exercise in due course.

“However, beforehand, we will be carefully looking at the land and working with our professional team to develop our ideas.  We will also be engaging with the council, members and statutory consultees.”