No marina, but £815k extra for development
Developers say marina plan is ‘no longer viable’
A MAJOR development in Leek is set to go ahead – but without the construction of a marina.
On August 17, 2015 outline planning permission was granted for a residential led mixed use scheme on land at Barnfields Road and Sunnyhills Road, Cornhill, Leek. The site extends to approximately 15.2 acres.
The project included up to 175 new homes on the former Hughes Concrete site, as well as employment units, reserved land for a future railway station, a public house or restaurant and reserve land for future link road.
Permission was granted with several conditions, including no more than 50 per cent of the houses to be occupied before the marina had been constructed, connected to the Caldon Canal and a footbridge installed over the aqueduct.
But developers Casey Group said the scheme is no longer viable if there is a positive obligation on the developer to deliver the marina. The applicant stated that the requirement to construct the marina made the development unviable and will not proceed.
At last week’s meeting of Staffordshire Moorlands District Council’s planning applications committee, an application by the Casey Group was put forward to vary the marina condition on the project.
In a report to councillors, case officer Jane Curley said: “The changes put forward by the applicant effectively seek to remove the existing obligations to physically deliver the marina but instead inset a new obligation to reserve land for a defined period and transferring this to the council, or another party capable of financing, constructing and operating the marina.”
Speaking to the planning committee, applicant Ryan Macindoe, said: “This is a regeneration of the area and we are happy to work in partnership.
“We have agreed £815,000 towards the facilities. There is space for the link road and it will bring in new homes.
“Without the variation, the regeneration of the site will not move forward.”
Councillor Jim Davies, said: “Staffordshire Moorlands had a vision for this scheme with the railway and the canal.
“If the applicant gives £815,000, the vision will be kept alive. We would need to look at more money to facilitate the marina. The council needs to try and get other money together.”
Councillor Ben Emery, said “Cornhill has been a vision for some years. It is bad news about the variation, but it still has a chance to go through.
“We need the link road and the industrial units.
“There is £815,000, so we have to get more funding. The town needs the waterway with the railway knitted together.”
Councillor Keith Hoptroff said: “To not approve this, we lose some advantages. Could we meet some funding out of the council reserves?”
Councillors voted unanimously to approve and vary the condition regarding the marina.