OUR GAP - Planning Application for 120 houses between Houghton Grange & St Ives
Clare Anderson
Added at 14:22 on 10 October 2024
Your Help is urgently required to protect our village statuAct now …only a few days left to respond
Planning Application for 120 houses between Houghton Grange and St Ives
The planning application documents are available to view via the link
http://publicaccess.huntingdonshire.gov.uk/online-applications/
Please make your views heard and write to HDC by email to developmentcontrol@huntingdonshire.gov.uk quoting 23/00627/OUT
Our Neighbourhood Plan created planning law to Save a Gap between the village and St.Ives. At the time we were not allowed to define its size other than the law stating there should be a ‘substantial band of greenspace’ between Houghton Grange and The Spires on the western edge of the town.
Despite this, Homes England have now applied to build an additional 120 homes alongside the 107 already being built at Houghton Grange (Shelbourne Estates) on the edge of our village.
They propose building homes very close to the St.Ives Road, with the tallest homes (up to 10m) being next to the road. This fundamentally changes the current entrance to the new Shelborne estate development and the visual impact as people travel to St.Ives (see below visualisation as modelled by Homes England/AECOM and submitted as part of their planning application).
Before (picture from 2021, before the attractive entrance we currently have was created).
Proposed (visualisation to show proximity to road and density of housing)
Their application also proposes a much higher density development for these additional homes – higher than any of the surrounding developments in the area, even that of the Spires.
Taken together this would mean 227 new houses at Houghton Grange, equivalent to a 25% increase in the size of our village in only a very few years.
This proposal contravenes many aspects of planning policy – producing possible planning harm such as:
- The number of houses being built exceeds the allocation in the Local Plan
- Housing density too great, especially right on the edge of a small rural settlement
- Breaching the Neighbourhood Plan anti-coalescence policy - reducing the actual and perceived sense of separation between village and town.
- Failing to maintain the required ‘substantial band of green space’
- Inappropriate housing numbers for such a sensitive area especially when sitting between two market towns, where maintaining a rural village existence is already at risk.
- Excess housing numbers will contribute to an already increasing flooding risk
- Excess housing numbers will increase traffic issues and congestion on a road already at capacity.
- Excess housing numbers places a greater strain on local services – doctors, dentists, schools etc.
- Changing the character of the village beyond recognition
- Building too close to the road will result in ribbon development, fundamentally changing the entrance to the site and gateway to the town
- This proposal undermines the quality and value development which is Houghton Grange (Shelborne Estates)
In an attempt to have a constructive dialogue with Homes England we have spent time, and your money, producing professional alternatives to what has now been proposed. Sadly, these have been largely ignored in this latest proposal in order that Homes England can maximise their return from this site.
The planning application consists of 126 documents and yet incredibly, Huntingdonshire District Council have only allowed you 14 days to respond which we believe is fundamentally wrong and a breach of your rights. (the official closing date for comments is Tuesday 15th October)
We will continue to challenge this, but in the meantime, together we can act to address the situation and improve the outcome for us all.
Please make your views heard and write to HDC by email to developmentcontrol@huntingdonshire.gov.uk quoting 23/00627/OUT
Please write to your District Councillors by email at Douglas.Dew@huntingdonshire.gov.uk and David.Keane@huntingdonshire.gov.uk
Your MP by email at ben.obesejecty.mp@parliament.uk
The planning application documents are available to view via the link http://publicaccess.huntingdonshire.gov.uk/online-applications/
Act now – only a few days left to respond
Together we can produce a better outcome for all and shape a development we can be proud of.
From Houghton & Wyton Parish Council