Major plans for village homes

A major plan for housing development in Sutton Bridge has been put forward – despite some of the site being outside the development area.

Loyd Homes is looking to construct a total of 129 new houses at the northern end of the town.

The development proposals include two access points through Nightingale Way and Withington Street.

The site has a long planning history and already has permission for 76 of the 129 planned dwellings. A quarter of the homes should be affordable, both for rent and for low-cost ownership.

According to the design and access document accompanying the application, the affordable housing mix includes 14 two-bed, eight one and eight three-bed along with two four-bed homes.

The site is more than 17 acres and will include a wildflower meadow of just over half an acre to the north west of the Nightingale Way site.

“The proposed development, whilst situated beyond the settlement boundary, is located in a sustainable location.

“The council will therefore no doubt wish to consider the development against open countryside. This approach, however, in our opinion would be wrong and would fail to recognised that 59 per cent of the proposal already has the benefit of an extant planning permission,” says the statement.

“The development of 129 dwellings in a highly sustainable location will assist sustaining the local economy of the area,” it adds.

The application also says that the Local Plan identifies a requirement of 273 new homes for Sutton Bridge.

“We contend that events that have passed since the adoption of the Local Plan and a proportion of the identified need could be accommodated in the application site.

“Indeed, it cannot be ignored that 76 dwellings of the 129 being sought permission under this current application are already identified as windfall development.”