ECCLESHALL PARISH COUNCIL – PLANNING COMMITTEE MINUTES

March 5th 2025

 47/25).   Present were: –

 48/25).    Apologies

 49/25).  Declarations of Interest and Councillor requests for dispensation relating to items on the agenda:

 50/25).   Public Participation

 51/25).  To approve the minutes of the Planning Committee held on 19th February 2025

52/25).   Presentation by representatives from Sulis Public Affairs and Bloor Homes in relation to a proposal for new homes to the east of Eccleshall

• The process will include detailed public consultation to understand community aspirations and issues to be addressed. Residents can sign up for notifications at https://bloorhomeseccleshall.com/.
• The large scale of the development will allow for the delivery of supporting infrastructure to include a primary school, health centre (relocation of the existing surgery), and a spine road to link Stone Road and Stafford Road. This proposal could afford protection against smaller schemes that would not deliver infrastructure improvements.
• Frontage homes to be designed to reflect local character.
• Retention of existing hedges and trees, plus additional planting.
• Additional financial contributions via section 106 agreements for other local infrastructure improvements (to be identified).
• Existing Right of Way 17 will be retained and enhanced.
• The proposal to include up to 40% affordable housing, which could be ringfenced with occupancy criteria to prioritise local residents. Consideration could be given to inclusion of extra care housing if a need is identified.
• Stafford Borough Council’s housing targets have increased from 358 to 782 homes per year, which means it currently has only a 3-year housing supply, below the 5-year government requirement. The new Local Plan will need to reflect this increased supply and due to the upcoming revisions to the Local Plan process, the work to date on a new plan will need to be abandoned and restart in line with the new system.
• The potential timeline includes a public consultation and exhibition April/May, with a view to submitting an outline application summer 2025. If the application were to be successful, detailed designs could be submitted late 2025/early 2026 to start delivery from 2027 with circa 50 homes per year. Trigger points for infrastructure will be determined from discussions with the relevant authorities based on need.

• Flooding and Drainage issues were highlighted, including the capacity of the current old drainage system, capacity issues at the sewage treatment works and how the significant increase in surface water runoff will be managed to avoid adding to existing flooding issues. It would also be vital that this was in place prior to commencement of the development. Bloor Homes advised drainage consultants will be working on the proposal and liaising with Severn Trent, and local knowledge will help to guide them to identify issues to address.
• School and Health Centre – how would the developer ensure they are built in a timely manner to avoid a lag and overwhelm current services. It was advised that a certain amount of work will have to be completed to allow suitable access to the school, but the timing will be driven by Staffordshire County Council projections and supported by relevant planning conditions and s.106 agreements. Members noted that some children already have to attend primary school outside of the parish. Bloor Homes are in conversation with the County Council as to the need and will feedback on the response.
• New sports facilities – previous s.106 allocations for sports facilities were used to improve facilities in Stone, which is not accessible to all who live in Eccleshall. Bloor Homes advised that this development would not be large enough to provide on-site facilities, but off-site contributions could be agreed via the s.106 allocation, and this could include conditions that ringfence it to more local provision.
• Retail provision – This would only be considered if identified as desirable, as they would not wish to take business away from the High Street retailers.

 53/25).  Planning Decisions of Stafford Borough Council:

  54/25)  Planning Applications for consideration:-

  55/25).  To consider any further applications:-

  56/25).   Any Other Planning Matters: –

• There were no other planning matters

  57/25).   Correspondence:-

• There was no correspondence for consideration.

  58/25).    Accounts for payment:-

 59/25).     Date and venue for next meeting: