Huntingdonshire District Council initially refused to grant planning permission for the development over fears it would harm the ‘beauty of the countryside’.
Abbey Properties Cambridgeshire Ltd has been given the go ahead to deliver 115 new homes at the Livery Stable Folly Farm in Yaxley, with 40% earmarked to be affordable.
However, the efforts to reach this point were far from easy. After the planning application was submitted to Huntingdonshire District Council, the local authority refused to grant planning permission.
Councillors said the land was not available for new developments as it is mostly comprised of greenfield and farm buildings and would ‘result in harm to the intrinsic character and beauty of the countryside.’
What’s more, locals also expressed concerns over the proposed development. The Folly Farm Equestrian Centre, which is currently based near the site, said they would have to relocate as proposed construction would not make for a ‘safe, peaceful home’ for horses.
In similar vein, people living close to proposed development said the new homes would bring unnecessary traffic.
Despite apprehensions, the council’s planning inspector ruled the development will still progress because there was no concrete evidence to back up the concerns.
A report from the inspector read: ‘A number of potential concerns regarding highway safety and congestion have been raised by interested parties, including by Yaxley Parish Council at the inquiry.
‘Nonetheless, no substantiated evidence has been put to me to suggest that there would be any significant impacts in this regard that could not be reasonably mitigated.
‘In contrast, the potential effects of the development in these respects appear to have been thoroughly assessed on behalf of the appellant, for instance via a transport assessment.
‘The development and the proposed mitigation have also been scrutinised by Cambridgeshire County Council and Peterborough City Council as the local highways authorities concerned.
‘Subject to mitigation, neither of these bodies have any outstanding objections to the appeal scheme.
‘Based on all that I have read, seen and heard during the appeal process; I have found no good reason to conclude that the appeal scheme would have any significant negative effects on highway safety or congestion that could not be mitigated.’
Photo by Luke Besley via UnSplash
In related news:
House prices dropped 0.1% in August, Nationwide figures show
Leave a Reply