200 homes planned in Staffordshire next to HS2 line

Developer Walton Homes wants to build the housing estate on land off Tuppenhurst Lane in Handsacre near Rugeley.

Under the proposal a maintenance road and work station for the HS2 line, which is proposed to join up with the West Coast Line in the village, would be built.

The facility would give workers access to gantries at the track. A floodwater pond would also be built at the site as part of the plans.

Steve Cassie, from Walton Homes, said: "HS2 are building a little compound, which is only about 20 metres squared, to get to one of the gantries at the bottom of our site.

"But other than that this is nothing to do with HS2, it is a housing application.

"This is the outline proposal to basically establish the principle for the development."

If the proposals are approved by the council more details about the layout of the estate would be unveiled.

But the firm has already said out of the 200 properties around ten will be one bedroom, 84 will be two-bed including 20 bungalows, 82 of the houses will be three-bed and the remaining 24 will have four bedrooms.

There will be a minimum of two car parking spaces per home while some will also have single or double garages.

More than 150 people attended a public exhibition of the plans in Handsacre last month where numerous concerns were raised, particularly about the level of potential traffic on Tuppenhurst Lane.

The developer has stated speed reduction measures could be introduced on the road if called for by highways authority Staffordshire County Council.

Mr Cassie, added: "The exhibition was very positive for us.

"Some people objected but the majority of people were positive and quite in support of it.

"The main people effected are the people who live on Tuppenhurst Lane which is effectively a cul-de-sac.

"But we had some people turn up on the night who said they would actually like to buy a house on the site."

Plans for the Staffordshire section of the HS2 line went on view in Armitage last month.

HS2 representatives made a number of changes following residents' concerns, including taking the line under the A38, the West Coast Main Line and the South Staffordshire Line, rather than running over them on viaducts.

But it did not satisfy villagers, who say their homes have lost thousands of pounds in value due to the line proposal.