SITE LOCATION PLAN
Significantly, the adopted development plan removed the site from the Green Belt and identifies it as ‘Safeguarded Land’ which is land for consideration to meet the Council’s future housing needs (Policy SAD3). The Council does have a pressing need to release more land for residential development. The Council’s latest published statement on housing land supply accepts that it cannot demonstrate a 5 years supply of land with planning permission for residential development. The available supply (equivalent to 1.17 years) fails to meet the obligations which are imposed on all local planning authorities by paragraph 78 of the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF). Because of the housing land supply position, government policy imposes a presumption in favour of development (paragraph 11d of the NPPF) and it is appropriate to bring forward Safeguarded Sites to plug the shortfall.
The Council is working on a new Local Plan; it was submitted to the Secretary of State for Examination on the 11th December 2024. The Examination into its policies was opened on the 27th May 2025 and is ongoing. Limited weight can be attached to the new Plan’s policies until it has progressed through the Examination process. The Plan proposes to allocate the land between Wergs Hall Road and Keepers Lane for residential development
The site therefore represents an important part of the development plan’s spatial strategy to meet identified housing needs in the most sustainable locations at settlements where there is good access to public transport and local facilities.