More homes for Moreton Hall?
A inspector's report into a council's plans for where new homes should be built has suggested more could be built at Moreton Hall, in Bury St Edmunds.
The planning inspector's report into St Edmundsbury Borough Council's core strategy, a blueprint for where 12,500 homes are to be built in the borough over the next 21 years, has been published.
And among its findings it said a cap on 500 homes proposed for Moreton Hall should be removed and the wording of the document changed of the words to 'around 500 homes'.
The move is bound to anger some - Cllr Trevor Beckwith, who represents the estate has argued that it has already taken more than its 'fair share' of development.
But Ian Poole, planning policy and specialist services manager at the council, said it was unusual to impose a ceiling on developments at sites.
"The inspector recognised that there are constraints around Moreton Hall but he is not persuaded at this point that it is a significant reason to impose a ceiling," he said.
But the inspector did back the council's view that no new homes be built and occupied at Moreton Hall until the link road to the A14 Rookery Crossroads is built,
"That is the important thing, that is the key for us," said Mr Poole. "He says he can see no reason why the infrastructure cannot be delivered, but he has also said that no homes can be built and occupied until that infrastructure is in place."
And he backed the council in saying that no villages should be swallowed up into a wider Bury after concerns were raised about the levels of development that could take place near Westley and Fornham All Saints.
However, Mr Poole said he was disappointed that the inspector downgraded the level of affordable housing required at larger developments from 40 per cent to 30 per cent.
"The removal of that is disappointing given the huge problems we have got in delivering affordable homes," Mr Poole said.
But he added he could see that the change is to help kick start the housing market by making developments more profitable, and there was scope for the council to go back to the inspector in a few years time to ask to have the 40 per cent marker reinstated.
Wickhambrook, meanwhile, has been downgraded from a key service centre to a local service centre - which means the council does not see it as having the facilities to serve neighbouring villages and therefore the growth proposed for the village will be more limited.
The inspector's findings on the council's strategy are binding.
Mr Poole said the next stage would be the development of a Bury masterplan setting the 'lines on the map' for boundaries of development of homes and employment land, with consultation on that due towards the end of this year.
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Weather for Bury St Edmunds
Saturday 04 February 2012
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