Scores of homes in the Cotswold market town of Moreton-In-Marsh could get the green light despite objections from residents, environmental campaigners and the town council, writes Leigh Boobyer.

Developer Spitfire Bespoke Homes Ltd wants to develop land in the south of the town, off the A429, into a new housing estate.

The proposed site is opposite North Cotswolds Hospital and Fosseway Garden Centre, spanning 15.7 hectares.

Council planners have recommended the plans are approved but the Campaign To Protect Rural England (CPRE), and Moreton-In-Marsh Town Council and 175 residents have expressed concerns about the number of homes.

They said the town’s Local Plan, a housing blueprint, states the site can only take 119 homes.

But Cotswold District Council planning officers said in a report an independent Planning Inspector also “acknowledged that the site could potentially accommodate a larger amount”.

The authority’s planning committee will determine the application next week (Wednesday October 14).

According to a council report, several attempts to build on the land have taken place since 1973 but have fallen through, including a proposal to build a new supermarket in 2013 and 150 homes in 2017.

The 250 homes are being proposed to be built in a phased manner, with the first seeing 146 developed.

The proposed housing mix would be 30 one-bed homes, 69 two-beds, 115 three-beds, 32 four-beds and four five-beds.

A new access point will be created for pedestrians and cyclists on the north western corner of the site, opening onto the A429 at a point opposite Aldi.

Between April 2011 and March 2020, a total of 776 new homes were completed, with 220 still in the pipeline.

Council officers said the town has seen a “significant level of new housing in recent years”, but said that most of the new development was in the east.

The Planning Inspector stated that the 119 homes “was not a limit and that a well-designed scheme may well be able to accommodate a greater number”, the council report said.

Of the 175 letters of objection to the proposal, one said: “The size of development is not commensurate or in the context of the type of developments that exist within the town. It amounts to a metropolitan housing estate rather than a modest development within such a modest town.”

Another said: “The size of this development is excessive. It will overwhelm the whole neighbourhood.

“The green area surrounding the town will be further destroyed while the  public infrastructure including traffic and schools has been left in the same condition as it has been for the past 10 years.”

One letter in support of the bid however said: “I think I am one of the few who is for the proposed housing development.

“There is no denying there is a big need for housing in The Cotswolds / Gloucestershire.

“Just take a look at the approved development in Cirencester and what is being proposed here in Moreton is nothing in comparison.

“We need more houses for the growing population to live in, and it is only fair that Moreton gets a percentage of those houses.”

Campaign To Protect Rural England are concerned about the scale of the of the development compared to provisions with the Local Plan, according to the council document.

The report said: “CPRE takes the view that the number of dwellings proposed by the application is preferable to the number indicated in the Local Plan in term of the efficient and effective use of land. However, the increased numbers have other, potentially adverse, consequences which we address below.

“A large proportion of the objections examined raise the general question of infrastructure, concerns which CPRE shares.”

Explaining why the application should be approved by councillors next week, a council officer said: “Overall, it is considered that the proposed development accords with national and local planning policy and guidance.

“The application site is allocated for residential development in the Local Plan. While the proposed number of dwellings exceeds the 119 figure set out in the Local Plan, it is also of note that the Local Plan Inspector acknowledged that the site could potentially accommodate a larger amount.

“The level of development proposed is considered to be acceptable for the site in landscape and visual terms.

“The layout, design and landscaping of the proposed development are also considered to be appropriate for the site given its edge of settlement location within an SLA and adjacent to the Cotswolds AONB.

“It is also considered that the town’s infrastructure can satisfactorily accommodate the introduction of 250 dwellings given the length of time that the development will take to complete and the infrastructure improvements that can be secured through CIL or S106 contributions. The concerns of local residents are noted.

“However, it is considered that the scheme accords with national planning policy and guidance. The provision of affordable/self build and custom build housing are also considered to be significant benefits.

“It is therefore recommended that the application is granted permission.”