A developer has been told they can’t build 27 new affordable homes on the edge of Little Thetford.
Plans to build 27 new homes on the edge of a small village have been blocked after being branded “repetitive and bland”. East Cambridgeshire District Council criticised the design of the proposed development in Little Thetford and the impact it could have on the countryside.
The new homes had been proposed for a field off The Wytches, next to the A10 junction. The developer, Cambridge Housing Society, had proposed to make all of the new homes available as affordable housing, with 23 offered at affordable rent, and four as shared ownership.
The homes were proposed to be a mix of flats, bungalows and houses, ranging in size from one-bedroom flats and bungalows, up to four-bedroom houses. The developer said the plans offered the opportunity to create “high-quality” affordable homes for the area.
They said: “The site represents a sustainable, logical extension to the settlement, providing a sensitive interface between village and countryside while contributing to local housing need.”
The plans faced backlash from people living in the village, with 48 formal objections lodged with the district council against the plans. Several raised concerns about the impact the development could have on congestion and road safety, particularly due to how close the development’s access road would be to the A10 junction.
One objector said: “As a one-way in and one-way out village, adding more housing right next to the village entrance, a known busy area for traffic, is asking for fatal accidents to happen. I’ve lived in the village all my life and I would like to continue to do so, without this increased risk.
“Not only would there be a high chance of collisions, the road is the main pedestrian route that leads to the village bus stop, frequently used by visitors, residents and school children. The additional traffic will result in increased queuing at peak times, backing into the village. Not only increasing the level of fumes for school children, but increasing the risk of queuing motorists taking risks to exit the village.”
Another objector highlighted that Little Thetford had “limited amenities and an intermittent bus service”, which they said would make people more reliant on cars and “placing further pressure on an already unsafe junction”.
Concerns were also raised about the size of the proposed development, with one person arguing that it would be “disproportionate to a village of approximately 320 dwellings”.
Questions were also raised about whether this amount of affordable housing is needed in the village, with one objector highlighting that a separate development of affordable homes was already underway.
Council argues development will ‘harm the countryside’
The district council refused to grant planning permission for the development, citing as one of its reasons that the affordable housing need in the village had already been assessed and met through a separate development.
The authority also highlighted the lack of services and facilities in Little Thetford, which it said would lead to people having to leave the village for the majority of their daily needs.
The district council added that the proposed development would cause “harm to the character and setting of the settlement and surrounding countryside”.
The decision notice said: “The proposal results introduce a large quantum of development projecting beyond the existing build line of the settlement in a very prominent location that would be highly visible on approach from both directions. The proposed layout results in the apartment block introducing an urban feature into the rural edge of the development.
“The design of the dwellings is repetitive and bland, projecting poor quality design into the countryside in a visually prominent location and the apartment blocks would be out of keeping with the existing houses.”
For more planning notices in your area visit publicnoticeportal.uk .