Priti Patel, the Conservative Party Parliamentary Candidate for Witham, is continuing to campaign with local residents to defend Stonepath Meadow in Hatfield Peverel from being lost to development. The Meadow has been protected in planning policy from development for a number of years but is now under threat after Braintree District Council granted planning permission for 140 dwellings on the site and the developer is seeking permission at a current planning appeal for 80 dwellings. Priti made representations to the appeal hearing and has called on Braintree District Council to reconsider its decision for 140 dwellings after a recent Supreme Court judgement suggested that the Council may have been misapplying planning policies. Speaking after meeting residents at Stonepath Meadow, Priti said:
“Stonepath Meadow is a wonderful site that marks the end of the settlement boundary in Hatfield Peverel. It should be protected from development, especially as there are more appropriate sites in the village for new housing.”
“Braintree District Council have an opportunity to reflect on the decision they took to grant permission for 140 dwellings and reconsider it. When they made their decision they misinterpreted planning policy but a Supreme Court judgement affecting another council clearly shows that Braintree District Council got it wrong. Braintre had assumed that they needed to grant planning permission because they did not have a five year supply of housing and that meant their local plan was out of date. The Supreme Court judgement has confirmed that this approach is wrong and that councils without a five year supply of housing should have more flexibility to consider a range of policies when determining a planning application.”
NB: Pictures courtesy of Meloney Dale.