Residents in Weeton fighting plans for nearly 50 homes as meeting looms

Residents in the Fylde community of Weeton are objecting to proposals to build almost 50 new homes in the village.

A planning application is due to go before Fylde Council’s planning committee next week, on Wednesday June 24, seeking outline permission to build up to 49 dwellings and associated infrastructure on land east of Church Road , in Weeton with Preese.

Almost 50 notifications of objection have been submitted to planners by residents, and the proposals are also being contested by Weeton with Preese Parish Council.

Another local organisation, Weeton Action Group, is also against the proposals, which are beng put forward by developers Northern Trust.

Despite this, the planning officer at Fylde is recommending that the application be approved, contenting that its merits of providing vital housing provision for the borough outweighs any issues against it.

The Parish Council lists a number of concerns about the proposals.

What objectors say

In its objection statement, the Parish Council says: “The Local Plan has a commitment of development of 25 houses but there are already 55 properties which is 30 in excess prior to this development. This is still on the FBC website.

“There are concerns relating to access and egress. Church Road is extremely busy at rush hour times.

“Additional traffic within the village – the roads are inadequate to accommodate this further development.

“Flooding issues – the current system is inadequate. Is there provision for attenuation ponds? Where will surface water dissipate as the current dyke system is already over-burdened?

“There is a lack of provision for crossings on roads in the village and the increase in traffic / population will only accentuate this issue.

“Over-development within the village. There are still vacant properties in Church Croft.

“There is also a lack of infrastructure and amenities -shops, schooling, doctors and dentists.

“Weeton is a Tier 2 Smaller Rural settlement and the continued development is putting this at risk.”

The application includes a mix of homes, including affordable units,  green spaces and a pond.

Why it is recommended

Recommending approval for the scheme, the planning officer accepts the strategic scale of the residential development of the site, as proposed in the application, does not meet any of the forms of development that are supported by one of the key policies in the Fylde Local Plan.

The officer says:  “The application is in conflict with the adopted development plan for the borough.

“Whilst the starting point for a planning decision is its assessment against the relevant policies of the development plan, it is also necessary to consider if there are any material considerations that could outweigh that.

“The council’s housing supply position is a key such consideration as the Council is currently not able to demonstrate a deliverable five-year supply of housing.

“This means that the ‘tilted balance’ is engaged and schemes that deliver residential development can be approved even where that development does not reflect the allocation of the land in the Local Plan.

“The exception to this is where they lead to significant and demonstrable harm.

“Local residents have raised a range of concerns, mainly relating to highways, drainage and character impacts.

“These are responded to in the appropriate parts of the assessment in this report in detail, but the submitted information and subsequent assessment concludes that the proposed development would be brought forward such that any adverse impacts would not significantly outweigh the benefits.

“In this case it is considered that the proposal does not lead to the harms that should prevent its support when the tilted balance is engaged, and so the application is an acceptable scale and location of residential development.

It concluded: “Committee are therefore recommended to support the development.”

A number of planning conditions and completion of a Section 106 agreement relating to affordable housing delivery and various infrastructure contributions, are stipulated.