CONTENTIOUS plans to build 100 homes on a former brickworks near Napton have been given the green-light.
A planning application for 100 dwellings on the former brickworks in Brickyard Road was given the go-ahead by Stratford District Council’s (SDC) planning committee on Wednesday October 12.
The committee followed a recommendation by planning officers to approve the proposal despite objections from ward member Coun Nigel Rock and Napton Parish Council – and a dozen letters of objection from residents.
The proposed site is a former brickworks and quarry that closed in the 1970s and has remained unused ever since. The brickworks is located 800 metres from the village, while there are several industrial units nearby.
According to the planning documents, the site is ‘notably complex’ as it is constrained by noise and dust from these industrial units, as well as being steeply sloped in part and contaminated.
Ward member Coun Rock said he was opposed to the development on a number of grounds.
He voiced concern about the noise nuisance from adjoining sites, as well as the proposal for 100 dwellings exceeding that of the 65 stated in the 2019 public consultation.
He also pointed out the remoteness of the site and problems with “pedestrian linkage” to the community of Napton.
Napton Parish Council said it did not support development above 80 houses and also pointed out dust and noise concerns, as well as the poor connectivity to Napton village.
The objections from residents included the proposal consisting of too many houses, an adverse impact on the character of the area and the nearby listed windmill, the location being car dependent and the A425 being a fast and dangerous road which required traffic calming measures.
There were two letters of support for the application on the grounds the site was an eyesore and in need of regeneration, as well as a need to end the anti-social behaviour on the site – which included motocross, graffiti and fly-tipping.
Planning officers recommended SDC’s planning committee grant the application as not only does the Napton development plan support residential development on this site but there were a range of benefits to reclaiming the area – including removing an eyesore in the landscape, treating the contamination and bringing an end to the anti-social activities.
