Plans for 150 homes at Mankley Field thrown out by SDC (From Stroud News and Journal)

Plans for 150 homes at Mankley Field thrown out by SDC

11:43am Wednesday 12th March 2014 in News By Kate Wilson , Reporter

CHEERS and celebrations met the announcement that Stroud District Council’s development control committee had thrown out controversial plans for 150 homes in Leonard Stanley.

At a meeting on Tuesday, March 11 all members of the committee voted against the application by developers Gladman to build on the site known locally as Mankley Field.

Although it had been recommended for approval by planning officers at SDC the committee members found new reasons for refusal and voted against the recommendation.

Councillor David Drew (Lab, Farmhill and Paganhill) proposed to refuse the application at the meeting based on the potential damage the development would do to the visual landscape of Leonard Stanley and King’s Stanley.

Cllr Drew also outlined the potential for harm that the development would do to the ‘social landscape’ of the area.

It would, he said, lead to a forced ‘coalescence between the two villages’ and also that the application ‘failed to show compliance with SDC’s emerging local plan’.

More than 100 objectors to the proposal attended the meeting and although the decision was met with delight, in reality applicants Gladman is most likely lodge an appeal against the refusal, according to Mankley Field Action Group chairman Diane Odell.

Speaking after the meeting, vice-chairman of the development control committee, John Marjoram, said members had spent a lot of time debating the refusal reasons.

“Personally I think we have robust refusal reasons and we are confident that we can hold our ground in the case of an appeal,” he said.

“If the committee’s decision is upheld at appeal then I think it would give councillors back their faith in the planning process.”

Gladman has not yet formally lodged an appeal against the decision.