'˜Unwanted' Doncaster housing plan rejected

Delighted campaigners who attended the meeting at the Civic Offices on Waterdale cheered as members of Doncaster Council planning committee unanimously rejected the housing proposals for land to the east of Mere Lane, Edenthorpe.

Developer Hallam Land Management had hoped the scheme could create around 650 homes, providing a mix of housing types.

But residents and councillors were unconvinced by the plan, put before the local authorities planning committee on Tuesday.

The site falls within what the council calls Countryside Policy Area, meaning housing estates would not usually be allowed there. But officers said the need for housing across the borough meant the land should be made available.

A new access road in to the site would be built from the A630 via a new roundabout. The proposed layout also showed potential space for a new primary school.

But the plan was met with 293 objections from residents, who raised concerned including the loss of the countryside, traffic congestion and the impact on local services such as doctor’s surgeries and current education providers.

Edenthorpe ward Coun Andrea Robinson said: “The fact that 82 per cent of residents consulted are against this development is highly significant.

“We are astounded that whilst other brown field sites in Edenthorpe, which have long been recommend for housing remain undeveloped we as a council are prepared to countenance the loss of an idyllic green site.

“Building on this plot of land is morally wrong.”

Civic Mayor councillor Paul Nevett called the proposal ‘unwanted’ and ill-thought out’. He added: “This development feels like a gold rush, housing development at any cost.”

Councillor Sue McGuinness said the plan was ‘totally unsuitable and in the wrong place’.

Paul Bissett, of Edenthorpe Parish Council said: “There are many, many reasons why this application should be rejected. The most important reason is that the site can not be accessed from Edenthorpe itself and it will not be part of the community.

“We do want homes for people who need them but we passionately believe that this is the wrong scheme on the wrong site.”

Phil Jones, a planning consultant who advised Hallam Land Management, told the committee that there had been no objections from any statutory bodies. He added: “We have worked hard with officers to arrive at the very best scheme, and together we have arrived at a well considered, sympathetic scheme.”

After the meeting, parish councillor Paul Bissett thanked and congratulated the objectors who had opposed the scheme, and said it was a ‘fantastic result’.