Affordable housing plan in Green Belt thrown out

Bid to build eight homes refused to ‘stop urban sprawl’

PLANS to build eight affordable homes on the edge of Cellarhead have been thrown out.

Members of Staffordshire Moorlands District Council’s planning applications committee unanimously voted to refuse the application on land adjacent to Big Southlowe Farm, Leek Road, Cellarhead for JCM Group Holdings (UK) Ltd.

The plan proposed to build three pairs of semi-detached and two detached houses.

In a report to councillors, planning officer Lisa Hooley said: “The application site comprises of a rectangular parcel of land which forms part of a larger agricultural field.

“The site has a roadside frontage of 80 metres and measures 35 metres in depth. The site falls on the western side of Leek Road, outside of the defined settlement boundary of Werrington and Cellarhead.

“The units follow a linear pattern of development consistent with the prevailing pattern of development along Leek Road. The submitted layout plan shows that three individual access points would be created along the road frontage.

“This plan has since been superseded to reduce the number of access to two. This is in response to comments received by the local highway authority.

“The proposed dwellings are to be offered as ‘Discount Market Sales Housing’ and will be sold at a discount of 20 per cent below market value and will be secured in perpetuity via a S106 obligation.”

The committee objections, including:

Increased traffic and congestion; Pressure on existing services; Inappropriate development in the Green Belt;

Affordable housing allocated in the local plan;

Impact on wildlife and biodiversity. Cheddleton Parish Council also rejected the application.

In their recommendation to planners, they said: “The parish council resolved received 53 already to reject this planning application as it was determined that this was an inappropriate development in the Green Belt – there were no exceptional circumstances submitted to change this.

“The housing needs assessment was outdated and the Local Plan has made provision for affordable houses without the need for this development.

“An ecological study was undertaken in 2015 recording the biodiversity of this site – there would be a loss of wildlife and habitat if building was to be undertaken in this area.

“The parish council would like to add that this development could not be considered under the grounds of infill.”

Speaking to the planning committee, Cheddleton parish councillor Caroline Lovatt said: “Cheddleton Parish Council consider this inappropriate development and there are no exceptional circumstances.

“The local plan has made provision for affordable houses. It is encroaching into the countryside.”

The applicant’s agent,

Teresa

Critchlow, said: “The village boundary has been extended. The 30mph is in the development site.

“Affordable housing is needed in this area. These would be quality houses in a sustainable location.”

Planning committee member, Councillor Mike Gledhill said that the council had a local plan in place which had suitable affordable housing sites, while Councillor Ben Emery said it would be detrimental to the area and was in the Green Belt.

Councillor Bill Cawley said: “We have a local plan which took 13 years to complete. We now need to see how it works out.”

Councillor Peter Wilkinson said: “This is outside the development boundary. The Green Belt is there to stop urban sprawl. The local plan has been agreed.

“This is open market housing, but reduced. There should be something signed and it needs a housing association.”

All 13 members of the planning committee voted to refuse the application.