ECCLESHALL PARISH COUNCIL – PLANNING COMMITTEE MINUTES

 July 16^th 2025

 DRAFT

A meeting of Eccleshall Parish Council Planning Committee was held on July 16^th 2025, at Broughton Parish Room at 8.25pm following the Parish Council meeting.

  155/25).   Present were: –

Councillor B. Delanchy (Chairman)         Councillor R. Langford

Councillor P. Jones                                     Councillor S. Mifflin

Councillor S. Kean                                       Councillor C. Wilkins

Councillor D. Feneysey                              Councillor R. Taylor

Councillor A. Reid                                        Councillor D. Hill

Councillor M. Gosling                                 Councillor D. Hall

Mrs Stacey Worden (Clerk)

Borough Councillor J. Pert

Eleven members of the public.

 156/25). Apologies

Apologies were received from Councillors Perren, Ryan-Bloor and Dale.

 157/25).  Declarations of Interest and Councillor requests for dispensation relating to items on the agenda:

There were no requests to receive, and no declarations of interest were made.

 158/25).  Public Participation

There was no public participation.

 159/25).  To approve the minutes of the Planning Committee held on 2^nd July 2025:

The minutes, which had been previously circulated, were agreed and signed.

160/25).  Presentation by representatives from Muller Property Group in relation to three planning proposals:

In attendance were three representatives from Muller Property Group and one representative from Walsingham Planning (planning consultants).

The council listened to a brief presentation outlining the proposal to submit three planning applications for land to the South of Shaws Lane (55 dwellings), land to the South of Langton Park/West of Newport Road Eccleshall (48 dwellings) and land to the North of the Burgage (65 dwellings).

Points raised by Muller Homes (MH) in the presentation included:

• The modest size of the developments and the multiple sites would allow for the delivery over a shorter period of time, around 2 years from approval of the Reserved Matters application. The sites will be submitted as three separate applications.
• Housing mix is yet to be determined, and will form part of the REM application
• Shaws Lane would be widened and include a footpath along a short stretch by the development entrance.
• Langton Park access would be divided by a natural tree buffer within the site – one part of the development would have access off Langton Park and the other section off Newport Road.
• MH partnered with Wrekin to deliver the first phase of the Burgage expansion, but the phase two partner is yet to be determined. This proposal includes a ten acre country park for public use.
• It was noted by MH that the combined Bloor and Bellway proposals of 650 units would be an estimated 25% increase in population size, but the combined proposals by MH equates to approximately a 6% increase.
• Biodiversity net gain on Langton Park may fall below the 10% required government target, but this would be met via increased gain at the Burgage site.

Points raised by councillors included:

• Land off Shaws Lane:
  • Traffic volume along Shaws Lane will increase beyond the stretch proposed for widening as not everyone will access it from the east, increasing the hazard to pedestrians where there is no pavement. A reduction in speed limit to 30mph along Shaws Lane would be vital.
  • Further congestion will be added to peak times for school drop off and collection.
• Land off Langton Park:
  • Concerns about access onto Newport Road, which is close to access to Johnson Hall nursery, which is potentially dangerous due to traffic speeds and volume in that area. MH noted that the development is small and would not increase volume excessively and the County Council would be a consultee in establishing the safety of the junction and any required mitigation measures.
• Land off the Burgage:
  • Members noted the proximity to the sewage works and the undesirable impact on the planned adjacent country park.
  • Concerns about park flooding resulting in a lack of suitable amenity. MH advised that the Environment Agency is a statutory consultee and would have to approve the proposal.
  • Access to the country park by visitors – traffic levels and parking provision needs to be considered.
• General concerns raised:
  • Lack of school provision – primary and secondary school places. MH responded that the local education authority would be consulted and if there were no school places available MH would have to contribute to an expansion.
  • Concerns over loss of greenfield sites used for food production (agricultural grade 3a and 3b).
  • Flooding issues were re-iterated and MH asked to review the joint statement on flooding released by Severn Trent and Staffordshire County Council.
  • MH were asked to consider the supply of bungalows, for existing residents which would then free up larger properties.
  • Build quality – desirable to include measures such as swift bricks, sustainability features such as solar panels
  • Whilst the proposals are smaller in comparison, there is still the overall effect of multiple applications to be considered which will result in a disproportionate and unsustainable level of development in the area.

(7 members of the public left the meeting at this point).

 161/25).  Planning Decisions of Stafford Borough Council:

25/40460/TCA – Eccleshall Conservation Area: Sycamore – Fell. Land Rear Of The Vicarage Church Street. Approved.

24/39748/FUL – Conversion of barns to create seven residential units and associated

demolition. (In conjunction with 24/39893/LBC). Approved.

25/40773/PAGR – Prior Notification – Traditional steel portal framed agricultural building

with steel box profile cladding. Land Adjacent To Timber Yard Newport Road Wootton. Prior Approval Granted.

 162/25).  Planning Applications for consideration:-

25/40745/HOU – Two storey side rear extension; including minor alterations. Ivy Cottage Cash Lane Garmelow.

There were no objections to this application.

 163/25). To consider any further applications:-

25/40748/FUL – Retrospective change of use from Agriculture to Residential amenity space. The Villa Old Hall Lane Mill Meece Stafford.

There were no objections to this application.

164/25). To consider the costs for appointing a planning consultant to prepare representations on a range of major planning applications, developing a strategy and building the evidence base to provide robust representations on material considerations.

Members considered the proposal for representation from Urban Vision Enterprise, which includes the following elements:

• To undertake a growth profile of Eccleshall, to include site visits and meeting to gather evidence and look at site constraints and issues for each site and demonstrate the cumulative impact of speculative developments (£867 plus VAT).
• Individual representations for each application, to include meetings, desktop review, representation for Parish Council submission and summary of material considerations for circulation to the wider community to help inform their own representations (£578 to £1156 per application, dependent on scale and complexity).

It was resolved to approve the quotation and appoint Urban Vision Enterprise to provide planning support. A budget of up to £10,000 was approved.

It was agreed to form a working group consisting of Cllrs. Wilkins, Delanchy, Perren, Hill and Feneysey who will work with the Clerk to liaise with the consultant and help inform the process.

 165/25). Any Other Planning Matters: –

To discuss any further concerns and update list of infrastructure issues and required improvements, aspirational aims and other considerations for Eccleshall for use in relation to planning application responses.

The council addressed concerns in relation to potential conflicts of interest, in response to resident concerns. It confirmed that there are no members of the Parish Council who have any personal connection to the developers who have put forward the proposals to date, and none of the proposed sites have been brought forward by Richborough Estates, so there are no pecuniary interests to consider in relation to land promoters. Any accusations or concerns are inaccurate, and the council strongly supports the councillor involved, who has a wealth of experience to bring to the table with regards to planning issues.

It was agreed that the draft list of concerns and suggestions for improvements will be provided to the planning consultant to be discussed and tailored for use in the representations.

Cllr. Wilkins proposed the submission of a letter to Stafford Borough Council, outlining concerns in relation to the growing number of development proposals in the pipeline, and to request the following actions:

• That the borough council undertake a Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) or Habitats Regulation Assessment (HRA).
• That consideration be given to producing a Supplementary Planning Document (SPD) or Masterplan for Eccleshall to guide development responsibly and coherently.
• That public consultation and transparent dialogue with residents and community groups form an integral part of this process.

It was resolved to approve the correspondence and to include a request for an ALC (Agricultural Land Classification) review.

166/25).  Correspondence:-

There was no correspondence for consideration.

167/25). To approve delegation to the Clerk, in consultation with the Chairman, to respond to any urgent planning applications that require a response before the next meeting.

It was resolved to approve this course of action.

 168/25). Date and venue for next meeting:

Wednesday August 13th, Eccleshall Community Centre, 7.30pm.

There being no further business, the Chairman declared the meeting closed at 9.40pm.