Call for more delay on new homes plan
Thursday, 11th October 2001.
A MAJOR housing development in Haverhill, which includes the first phase of a northern relief road for the town, could be delayed after a planning application has been called in by the government.
Wilcon Homes has outline planning consent from St Edmundsbury Borough Council to build around 400 homes, as well as a middle school and community facilities on a 42-acre site at Hales Barn Farm.
A public inquiry was due to be held in January after the Government Office for the East of England called in the planning application and said it should be determined by the Secretary of State.
However, St Edmundsbury Borough Council has been asked to postpone the public
inquiry so that developers can produce more details in support of their application.
Ian Poole, planning policy and information manager for St Edmundsbury Borough Council, said they had to refer the plan to the Government Office for the East of England because of the size of the site.
“New government policy says that brownfield sites, which have been built on before, should be developed first. All land that is on green field sites is being questioned as to whether you really need to develop it. That is why it has been called in. It is not just us, there have been developments called in all around the country.
“We cannot second guess what the Government Office will say, or the Secretary of State, who will determine it. We have to demonstrate that there are not sufficient
other sites about for development and that is the part of the work going on now. It may result in a delay and Wilcon are putting resources into getting things done,” Mr Poole said.
An urban capacity study is being carried out in Haverhill to show what sites are available and how many houses are needed over the next 15 years. The planning gain of the developer paying for the cost of the first phase of the northern relief road will also be used as an argument in support of the plan.
The exact route of this road, linking Withersfield Road to the Bury St Edmunds road, has yet to be determined and the issue of how many homes can be built before the road is provided by the developers has also to be resolved.
Wilcon Homes has outline planning consent from St Edmundsbury Borough Council to build around 400 homes, as well as a middle school and community facilities on a 42-acre site at Hales Barn Farm.
A public inquiry was due to be held in January after the Government Office for the East of England called in the planning application and said it should be determined by the Secretary of State.
However, St Edmundsbury Borough Council has been asked to postpone the public
inquiry so that developers can produce more details in support of their application.
Ian Poole, planning policy and information manager for St Edmundsbury Borough Council, said they had to refer the plan to the Government Office for the East of England because of the size of the site.
“New government policy says that brownfield sites, which have been built on before, should be developed first. All land that is on green field sites is being questioned as to whether you really need to develop it. That is why it has been called in. It is not just us, there have been developments called in all around the country.
“We cannot second guess what the Government Office will say, or the Secretary of State, who will determine it. We have to demonstrate that there are not sufficient
other sites about for development and that is the part of the work going on now. It may result in a delay and Wilcon are putting resources into getting things done,” Mr Poole said.
An urban capacity study is being carried out in Haverhill to show what sites are available and how many houses are needed over the next 15 years. The planning gain of the developer paying for the cost of the first phase of the northern relief road will also be used as an argument in support of the plan.
The exact route of this road, linking Withersfield Road to the Bury St Edmunds road, has yet to be determined and the issue of how many homes can be built before the road is provided by the developers has also to be resolved.
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