‘Stanhanger’: Stansted and Birchanger parish councils to discuss plan of action following unveiling of 1,050 homes development scheme
The two villages facing the 1,050-homes ‘Stanhanger’ development that would effectively join them together are preparing for battle.
Stansted and Birchanger parish councils will meet to discuss their next move following developer City and Country’s announcement last Friday (Nov 22) that it intends to build on Green Belt land between the two villages.
It is staging a public consultation at Bishop’s Stortford Football Club’s stadium on the Woodside industrial estate on Thursday (Nov 28) from 3pm to 7pm. Councillors criticised the “short notice” of less than a week.
Stansted Parish Council chair Maureen Caton said she had already been in contact with her Birchanger counterpart, Cllr Angie Driscoll, to arrange a meeting.
They are also waiting for City and Country to respond to their request for a meeting.
“We are obviously going to liaise with Birchanger and discuss it with them because there’s impact on both of us,” said Mrs Caton.
“There hasn’t been much notice about this, only coming through to us on Friday afternoon and their consultation is on Thursday, so it doesn’t give us a lot of time to muster the troops.
“It will tick a box, but I would have thought they would need to give us a bit more time to consider it.”
She said the development proposals would be on the agenda at a forthcoming parish council meeting.
Cllr Ray Gooding, the Conservative Essex county councillor whose Stansted division includes both villages and a member for Stansted South & Birchanger on planning authority Uttlesford District Council, said the plans were met with “shock and horror” last Friday.
“I’d been aware the land behind Forest Hall School had been sold to City and Country, but I wasn’t aware of the extent of what they’re now suggesting,” he said.
“It’s not in the emerging Local Plan and a lot of it is Green Belt and a lot of it doesn’t stack up. There’s a lot going against it, we hope.
“Stansted and Birchanger would coalesce and that’s what everybody’s been trying to avoid for many years.”
Cllr Geoffrey Sell, a Liberal Democrat member for Stansted North on UDC and a member of the parish council, is also optimistic the plan is “unlikely” to succeed.
“This land covers 172 acres (70 ha) with the aim of 1,050 homes, so it’s a huge development and I’d be surprised if they got what they wanted.
“This is an opportunistic and unwelcome proposal. The site is not included in Uttlesford’s Local Plan. I think much of the site is Green Belt.
“Clearly, as Uttlesford is under special measures re its planning function, City & Country have the option of submitting a planning application direct to the Planning Inspectorate.”
