Appeal into long-running planning issue for 150 houses on land
A PLANNING appeal is being held this week to build homes off Thorncliffe Road, Leek, writes LESLIE JACKSON.
The land, which is owned by district councillor Brian Johnson, has been the subject of planning applications and appeals for more than two years.
In November 2018 members of Staffordshire Moorlands District Council refused an application by Land Designation Ltd to build more than 150 houses off Thorncliffe Road which was described as ‘a dangerous precedent’.
The applicant then appealed to government inspectorate who late last year dismissed the appeal on the grounds that the proposed development would have caused significant harm to the character and appearance of the site and the wider landscape.
In February this year members of Staffordshire Moorlands District Council’s planning applications committee again threw out another application to build new homes on land south of Thorncliffe Road.
A report to councillors by planning officer Jane Curley said: “This is a revised submission which was refused in November 2018 and subsequently dismissed on appeal in December 2019. The application seeks to demonstrate that this smaller scale proposal addresses the previous reasons for refusal. It omits the southernmost field that measures approximately 0.83 hectares.”
Mrs Curley said the applicant had tried to address the reasons for refusal. The application received 105 letters of objection.
The Peak District National Park said: “Despite the scaled down proposal, the site is visually detached from the existing settlement because it is on the other side of the ridge line that currently screens views of Leek from within the National Park. As such development would harm the flow of landscape.”
Leek Town Council also recommended refusal stating the Mount was an obvious boundary to the town and the development would be significantly harmful to the character and appearance of the area. The town council also had serious concerns regarding flooding and drainage.
Now Land Designation Ltd have appealed against the February refusal by the planning committee.
An appeal statement produced on behalf of the applicant, Land Designation Ltd, by AAH Planning Consultants, said: “The appeal seeks to secure outline planning permission for a residential development on the site with all matters reserved except access. The indicative layout submitted in support of the appeal shows that up to 48 dwellings would be accommodated on the site together with appropriate SUDS and public open space.
“The appeal site is located to the eastern edge of the market town of Leek and lies within the administrative area of Staffordshire Moorlands
District Council. The site is located to the south of Thorncliffe Road and to the east of Stile House Lane.
“The appeal site measures approximately 3.62 hectares. It consists of two agricultural fields (or four as two of the fields are divided by small wooden post fence) dominated by horsegrazed pasture, with bordering hedgerows, standard trees, wooden fencing and marginal vegetation.
“The site is situated within a semi-rural area with pastoral and arable fields dominating the landscape to the north, south and east. Roads, farm properties, treelines/hedgerows, and small blocks of woodland are also scattered throughout the area. The hills of the Peak District form the eastern horizon approximately 2.2km away. The town of Leek and its development boundary is situated to the west of the site.”
The planning inspectorate will announce their decision at a later date.