Rejected plans for 150 homes near Cranfield head back to council
A housing project on a 20-acre site within the Forest of Marston Vale, north of Cranfield, is set to be reconsidered by a planning committee this week, despite being refused in July.
Outline plans from applicant Hallam Land Management Limited for up to 150 homes outside the village settlement envelope were rejected by councillors, who went against a recommendation to approve from planning officers.
Other aspects include a new access, ecological habitats, children’s play areas and amenity green space on land at the back of numbers 2 to 44 Crawley Road.
The scheme had been deferred in April to establish whether Anglian Water intends to upgrade the sewage treatment works at Marston Moretaine.
Now the planning application returns to Central Bedfordshire Council’s development management committee on Wednesday (September 23) and is recommended for approval again by planning officers.
Conservative Cranfield and Marston Moretaine councillor Sue Clark explained on social media: “I gather the reason why this is back on the agenda is because the application had to be referred to the Secretary of State as per government rules for applications of 150 houses or more that have been refused.
“The Secretary of State chose not to call the application in and advised that it could be determined by the local authority. But the new national planning policy framework (NPPF) was published before the decision notice was issued.
“I understand the council considers there’s a material change in the policy context in the new NPPF, and therefore the application should be returned to the committee to be reconsidered.
“I’ll be asking plenty of questions at the meeting, when I’ll be fighting again for this application to be refused.Having worked so hard to get these proposals rejected, this is very disappointing.”
The site is “an irregular shaped parcel of paddock land” between Crawley Road and Bourne End Road. As a development in the open countryside, this would be contrary to Local Plan policy, according to a previous report to the committee
“But the council cannot show a five-year supply of housing,” said the report. “These proposals are considered to be sustainable, and no significant harm has been identified that couldn’t be mitigated through appropriate planning conditions.
“Outline planning permission was refused previously for up to 198 homes and a separate application for up to 222 properties with a doctor’s surgery.
“An appeal was lodged against the second refusal, but was dismissed because of unacceptable harm to the character and appearance of the area. Ofwat has approved the Anglian Water business plan, which includes Marston Moretaine water recycling centre upgrades.”
Chartered town planner at agent Marrons, for the applicant, David Fovargue said at the April meeting: “A landscape-led master plan is a key feature providing a clear green and attractive edge to the village, while reflecting a rural character.
“Hallam are dedicating four acres of land to the west to provide new habitats for wildlife. This is fundamentally different to what was proposed within the 2017 application.
“There are no technical or statutory objections from consultees. This site can make a contribution towards a five-year housing land supply.”
Councillors refused the development as it would harm the open countryside and the historic edge of settlement, and because of the absence of a Section 106 legal agreement.