Council PASSES 119-home estate next to Hednesford Town FC

Cannock Chase District Council’s planning committee has at last given the green light to Taylor Wimpey’s scheme which has been held up for months over fears it would cause match day parking chaos at Keys Park.

The developer vowed to give each household on the new estate two parking permits granting them permission to leave two cars outside their properties when The Pitmen are playing at home.

They had previously pledged to expand the club car park from 74 spaces to 251 and impose a traffic regulation order restricting fans parking outside residents' homes.

While a 'travel plan co-ordinator' will be employed to encourage club staff and fans not to drive to matches.

The scheme had been deferred by the committee three times over parking issues, although on two occasions it was merely to give Taylor Wimpey more time to address the concerns.

Councillor Paul Woodhead, who represents the area, criticised the committee's decision.

He said: "It is disappointing that we have councillors who sit on this committee and have passed this development without an adequate parking solution who are the same councillors who sit as Hednesford town councillors calling on the police to act on the parking issues at the 5’s facility on Bradbury Lane which is another development passed without adequate parking.

"I fear we will have ongoing and long term friction between the patrons of the football club and the residents for years to come."

A spokesperson for Taylor Wimpey said: “We are pleased Cannock Chase District Council approved our plans for Keys Park Road on Wednesday.

“The committee considered the application once before, and we worked hard to address the concerns raised by councillors. We believe the updated scheme is better as a result and will provide an even more sustainable housing development for Hednesford. This improvement was reflected in the committee’s unanimous decision to grant planning permission.

“We would like to thank all those who gave their feedback on our plans, and we are now looking forward to starting work on site.”