New garden village included in plans for more than 10,000 homes in Stafford borough

Stafford Borough Council is putting together its latest Local Plan, which sets out proposed development for the area in the years between 2020 and 2040.

The authority is now publishing its “preferred options” for the plan, which are going out to public consultation. Residents, organisations and businesses will be able to have their say between October 24 and December 12, with a series of public events set to take place in Stafford, Stone, Eccleshall and Gnosall as well as an online event on November 9.

Last Tuesday councillors heard that 10,700 new homes were proposed for the borough over the 20-year period of the plan.

These include major developments already approved for areas such as Stafford however, as well as the Meecebrook development earmarked for land in the Cold Meece area.

The area proposed for the “garden village” previously included former MOD land and around 10,000 new homes were planned. But this land has now been removed from the proposals, which have been revised to include 6,000 new homes as well as schools, GP and health provision, employment space, community facilities and transport links.

Up to 3,000 new homes are proposed to be built at Meecebrook in the years up to 2040, with the other 3,000 due to come forward after the plan period. Development would take place over a period of more than 30 years, starting around 2030.

Tuesday’s special scrutiny meeting was also told that the proposals included “countryside enhancement areas” for Stafford and Stone and measures to tackle climate change. Two locations, in Hopton and near Amerton, have been identified to provide much-needed sites for members of the gypsy and traveller communities after being put forward by landowners and developers.

On Thursday, cabinet members gave the go-ahead for the preferred options report to be published for consultation.

Councillor Frances Beatty, cabinet member for economic development and planning, said: “We have organised parish council meetings and public consultation meetings throughout the community.

“I am very anxious that as many people as possible are aware of the opportunity to have their say on what is really a blueprint for the whole of the borough for the next 20 years; not just in terms of housing and commercial development but also where spaces are going to go for play areas, dealing with climate change and so forth. It’s a very wide-ranging document and it’s one we’re required to do by statute.

“One of the points that has been very clearly made is that we’re a growth borough and have been for a number of years. That involves building numbers of houses as required by Government.

“The figure you will see in the document is 10,000 houses to be built or commenced within the next 20 years. That includes 6,000 houses that have already been built, and so the figure we are looking for is 4,500 houses over the next 20 years, of which we are planning that 3,000 will go in the new garden village at Meecebrook.

“I ask the local community to look at the documents and see how we are trying to take this ribbon development away from Stafford and Stone and major villages to concentrate it in a single place so that we don’t see towns and villages joined up. It is extremely important.”

Councillor Jeremy Pert, deputy leader and cabinet member for community, said: “I think you are right to talk about the aspiration for our communities and I think this sets the aspiration. In terms of numbers, what is currently a target of 500 goes up potentially to a target of 535 houses (a year), but it is also critical to get the infrastructure right to support any of that development.

“I think the whole bold climate change proposal on new developments will put us as the leading council, in terms of local plans, within the country if we can get this through both our communities and the Planning Inspector. So I commend your aspiration and ambition.”