CAMPAIGNERS have been left disappointed after plans to build 200 homes in Bidford were overturned on appeal.
The proposal by Miller Homes to build on land at Waterloo Road was unanimously rejected by members of Stratford District Council’s planning committee in March 2015.
Developers opted to appeal the decision and members of campaign group Bidford Residents Against Development (BRAD) were left stunned when a second application was submitted less than six months later for the same number of homes in the same area.
Officers had recommended the plans be given the green light subject to a number of conditions and developer contributions, but members of the authority’s planning committee once more voted to reject the scheme at a meeting in October.
They argued the location was unsustainable and there were insufficient contributions towards education and healthcare provision.
They also maintained the homes would lead to increased traffic congestion in the village while campaigners said the scheme would push the village’s already stretched resources and infrastructure to breaking point.
Developers subsequently appealed the two rejections and planning inspector Clive Sproule has now ruled the homes can be built.
He said the district council did not have the required five year housing land supply to prevent the development and this, coupled with a lack of local plan, meant he had to follow national guidance and make a presumption in favour of sustainable development.
The 200 homes are in addition to 40 homes at nearby Jackson’s Meadow, which were given approval following a separate appeal by Bloor Homes.
Stratford District Council is currently in the process of trying to get its Core Strategy adopted.
The key planning document, which outlines where, when and how many homes will be built in the district by 2013, has undergone two public examinations since January 2015.
Council chiefs are hoping to rubber stamp the document on July 11.
