MORE than 100 residents attended an emergency meeting to discuss how to fight plans for 150 homes in Leonard Stanley.

The meeting was called after it was revealed that new plans by developer Gladman for homes on Mankley Field had been recommended for approval.

The original plans, which attracted nearly 260 letters of objection and a petition with more than 1,000 signatures, were unanimously rejected by Stroud District Council’s development control committee in September.

During the meeting on Tuesday, February 11, district and parish councillors and members of the Mankley Field Action Group explained the implications of the recommendation.

Leonard Stanley Parish Council chairman Graham Davies said SDC’s planning department had been left in a position where it could ‘no longer defend the development’.

According to Cllr Davies, there would be ‘severe implications’ to SDC should the development control committee vote against the recommendation when the plans are discussed on Tuesday, March 11.

The district council representatives for the Stanleys, Stephen Lydon and Nigel Studdert-Kennedy, said they were united in their opposition to the development.

Cllr Lydon explained that if the application were refused next month but approved on appeal, SDC could have its power to act as the planning authority taken away by Secretary of State, Eric Pickles.

“There is a policy which allows Mr Pickles to take away our planning powers if SDC loses between 40 and 50 per cent of appeals and thanks to the new national planning policy framework we have already lost a substantial amount,” he said.

Cllr Studdert-Kennedy explained that the planning committee was ‘independent’ and therefore still had the power to turn down the application however residents needed to be aware of the consequences.

Action group chairman Diane Odell said she would ‘continue to make as much noise as possible’ to stop the development.

She called for residents to write to members of the planning committee, MP Neil Carmichael and to Mr Pickles asking him to ‘call the application in’ so a planning inspector would make the final decision.

For more information about the action group see www.savemankleyfield.co.uk