330 homes approved for Telford despite objections

About 50 people attended a meeting to hear the fate of land at Orleton Park on the edge of Wellington.

And the onlookers exclaimed "shame" after councillors gave the development on 37 acre (15.2 hectare) site to the north of Haygate Road the go ahead.

The houses will be on a main arterial road into the market town and next to the historic Orleton Hall and Park.

The neighbouring land is registered with English Heritage and includes the grade II 18th Century mansion Orleton Hall.

The application by Gladman Developments Ltd generated strong objection and sparked the formation of campaign group Haygate View.

John Pattinson spoke on behalf of the group at the meeting of Telford & Wrekin Council's planning committee last night.

He said: "We are disappointed with the council's planning services for three key reasons. First its slowness in reviewing its local plan over the last six years.

"Second its failure over the same period to monitor vigilantly its five year housing land supply.

"And third its weakness in allowing this proposed speculative development to be considered as an outline planning application, rather than as a full planning application."

Also speaking out against the plan was Dorothy Roberts of Wellington Town Council. She said: "350 homes will produce a large number of children just at a time when we are losing one whole school from Wellington and its replacement does not offer any extra places."

Councillor Roberts said it would be better to build the 12,000 homes which already have planning permission in the borough than starting to build on green land.

Councillor Jacqui Seymour, member for Wrockwardine ward said it was the "wrong development, in the wrong place, at the wrong time".

She said if it was approved it would send a signal to other developers that they could pick off other green sites.

Miles Hosken, ward member for Ercall Wood called the application "reckless".

He said: "It will aggravate an already stressed number of utilities."

He expressed concerns over an increased number of cars using Herbert Avenue, Holyhead Road and Haygate Road.

"Valuable green space in a dwindling semi rural area will be gone forever," he added.

But the applicant's agent, Chris Still, said the development would provide large contributions to increase the number of school places and improve nearby junctions.

He said it would secure a £37.1 million investment in the construction industry, 150 full time jobs for each year of the build and 40 jobs for public service workers.

"It will bring 460 economically active residents to the area," he said.

Councillor Clive Mason said: "My concern is the junction of Haygate Road and the old A5 also the junction at the bottom of Haygate Road where it joins the bypass.

"And I do have concerns with that the residents say about Herbert Avenue. If this does go through we've got to do a lot more work on these junctions because they're going to get a lot more traffic."

Councillor Nigel Dugmore said he was against the application as he did not believe it was a sustainable development and it was on green field land when there was brownfield land available.

"There would be an extra 600 movements a day in and out of there," he said.

Councillor Ian Fletcher said: "It's going to be built right up the side of a grade II listed building and that's going to cause some harm."

Councillor Amrik Jhawar said it was an outline application and concerns could be addressed when a full application came before the committee so he would support it.

Councillor Jayne Greenaway said she could not agree to the application as the area was outside the development boundary and was on agricultural land.

The application was granted outline planning permission subject to conditions and Haygate View expressed its "bitter disappointment."