From the District Council website:
The Council has received an outline planning application from applicants A W Squier Ltd, The Croll Group, and Messrs. H. J and D Squier for the development of a site east of Spencer Gardens and on the southern side of Brays Lane.
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The application is to be considered at a specially arranged meeting of the council?s Development Committee on Wednesday 14th September 2010.
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This is an alternative to a previous application made for a larger site to both sides of Brays Lane and for 150 houses which was withdrawn earlier this year. The new application is for a smaller part of the previous site on the southern side of Brays Lane. The site is in use for grazing and stables. The total site covers 5.45 ha (13.5 acres).
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The proposal includes the provision of:
* Residential development of up to 100 dwellings
* A new access and bus turning facility and reserve land for the King Edmund School
* Associated Infrastructure
* Landscaping
The application is in outline form with all matters reserved and thus seeking approval for the principle of the development.
The application can be viewed by entering the application number 11 / 00315 / OUT into the council?s planning application search facility.
You can download the officers report here (469kb)
Officers are supporting the application:
RECOMMENDATION
It is proposed that this Committee RESOLVES advise the Secretary of State for communities and Local Government that the council is minded to APPROVE THE APPLICATION subject to an AGREEMENT under SECTION 106 of the Act to the following heads of terms:
a) Secure land convenient to the school for two full size football pitches for the long term;
b) Provision of 35 Affordable dwellings;
c) A contribution of ?21k towards improvements to passenger transport
infrastructure at the following locations:
a.
Brays Lane stop ( ID1101509) to include real time information and shelter structure improvements
b.
Brays Lane stop ( ID1101508) to include real time information and shelter structure improvements;
d) A financial contribution of ?25k towards improvements to safety and capacity enhancements of the highway at the following locations:
a.
Ashingdon Road / Rectory Road junction
b.
Ashingdon Road / West Street / Hall Road
c.
Sutton Road/ Purdeys Way junction;
e) Provision of the school access and bus turn around facility commensurate with the implementation of the development; and
f) Provision of maintenance fund for the public and open areas of the site of not less than ?4,000 per year…..
But there are lots of objections from the public, sometimes quite angry ones. For example:
o Understand with horror that despite strong objections from long established residents the council is considering allowing the building of a hundred new homes. We are being very badly let down by the council who are elected to serve us and who will destroy this town and village. Shame on you all.
o Whilst we do need to improve our schools and facilities for our children to grow and progress, the surrounding area in which they live needs to be a nice place to live and must be kept that way
o Suspicious of Council?s obsession with the expansion of the King Edmund School
o Application is an assault on Human Rights and work all my life to enable me to live in a country setting
There are also some “unusual” objections…..such as.
Why not pipe water from Scotland and Wales to reduce south east water shortages?
Suggest speed cameras on the back of dust carts to stop dangerous overtaking.