Planners say 'refuse' Mill Lane housing scheme

Planning officers recommend that the housing scheme for Mill Lane should be refused when councillors meet next week.

The recommendation comes in a report to the council's Strategic Planning Board which meets on October 9th to decide on plans to build up to 36 homes on field off the Mill Lane bridleway.

Planners dub the development "unsustainable" and say it would "create harm to interests of acknowledged importance" as it is located in open countryside.

They also rule the scheme contrary to the council's emerging Development Strategy as the local authority insists it can demonstrate a five-year housing land supply.

Planners also point to the plots that front the Mill Lane bridleway which they say is "not suitable for further development" and that houses here would have a significant impact on highway safety.

And they warn that insufficient information has been submitted about the local bat population which is needed to assess the impact of the development on protected species.

The report finds the Mill Lane scheme is not without some merit. It says the site is acceptable in terms of its impact on residential amenity and, while it doesn't meet all the minimum distances to local amenities and facilities, the failure is not significant.

Planners also rule out objections that refer to flood risk on the site and in particular claims that if the site is developed it would cause additional flooding to existing properties in Audlem.

The report says: "Whilst these concerns have been given careful consideration, it is considered that a refusal on these grounds would not be sustainable given the lack of an objection from the Environment Agency."

In conclusion, planners say that any merits in the proposals are considered "insufficient" to outweigh the harm that would be caused in terms of the impact of the development on the open countryside.

The recommendations will delight local residents who have formed an ad-hoc campaign group to fight the Mill Lane proposals.

They plan to meet tomorrow night to discuss making personal representations to the Strategic Planning Board meeting in order to add further weight to the planning officer's recommendations.

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