Meeting continues fight against 1,500 new homes
LDRSHundreds of residents have gathered to campaign against proposals for 1,500 new houses in a Staffordshire town.
People said the number of homes, earmarked for 10 different sites which have been submitted for Stafford Borough Council's local plan, would overwhelm Eccleshall.
Residents, who met at Eccleshall Community Centre, said roads were already at capacity, with flooding and sewage issues prevalent in the town.
The proposals would help meet government targets for hundreds of thousands of new homes.
Campaigner Martin Peet raised concerns at Thursday's meeting that the plans were not "proportionate" to what the town could handle.
A petition started by residents last year gained more than 4,000 signatures.
Peet said: "This is not about saying 'not here', it's not about saying we're against all housing.
"It is about proportionate house building, this is about being fair, about being responsible and it's about protecting what makes Eccleshall a really good place to live."
"Our roads, our schools, our drainage, our healthcare, our green spaces. The very character of this town."
SBC/ArcGIS/OSThe 10 sites submitted for development as part of the proposals include:
- ECC01: Off Cross Butts – 48 houses
- ECC02: South of Stone Road – 150 houses
- ECC03: Green Lane – 86 houses
- ECC05: South of Shaws Lane – 32 houses
- ECC06: Between Stone and Stafford Roads – 500 houses
- ECC07: North of Stone Road, East of Burgage – 396 houses
- ECC09: South of Shaws Lane – 55 houses
- ECC12: North of Burgage – 58 houses
- ECC14: North of Shaws Lane – 150 houses
- ECC18: East of Castle Street – 59 houses
Peet encouraged those against the plans to object, to show it was not just "one voice" but a "whole community" speaking together.
He added: "Eccleshall has fight. Not angry fight, not destructive fight, but honest, the kind of fight that comes from people who love where they live and refuse to watch it change beyond recognition without proper planning, proper infrastructure and proper accountability."
Other residents echoed those concerns.
James Marsh said: "I've lived here most of my life and it will completely change Eccleshall. It's just over-development and I'm not sure how local services are going to be able to manage."
The sites were all proposed as part of the borough's Strategic Housing and Employment Land Availability Assessment.
The council said the assessment identified "a list of sites in the borough which may be suitable for housing or employment development at some stage in the future".
The status of all ten of the sites around Eccleshall is described as "potentially deliverable based on local plan policies".
New, higher mandatory housing targets were introduced by the government in December 2024, as well as significant changes to the National Planning Policy Framework.
The target for the whole of Stafford borough is 749 new dwellings a year - with up to 60 a year in Eccleshall.
Follow BBC Stoke & Staffordshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
