Approval recommended for 20 homes plan for Chatteris site despite 13 objections

Plans for 20 homes in Chatteris are up for discussion at Wednesday’s Fenland planning committee, with officers recommending approval despite 13 letters of objection.

The application by Mr D Dalrymple of Beauville Properties Ltd wants to build the homes on land south of 116 to 120 New Road, and the town council has offered no objections, but suggests the properties be bungalows rather than houses.

An officer’s report to the meeting explains that a previous application for 20 homes had been approved, but the permission had since lapsed.

The site is approximately 9.4 hectares and is neighbouring the existing Green Park development at the top of New Road near the A142.

The Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Integrated Care System board says the proposed development would impact on the town’s only GP practice, the George Clare Surgery.

As such the health organisation wants to see a donation of just over £17,000 to help with the provision of the extra medical staff that would be needed and the space required at the surgery.

Cambridgeshire County Council also wants financial contributions towards the cost of providing additional school places totalling £326,196 plus a further £2,950 for the town library.

However, the officers pointed out that “due to known viability constraints with the district”, the full amount of infrastructure contributions cannot be secured.

Objectors the the plans have raised various concerns, including highway safety, flooding, environmental impact, amenity concerns, density of the development, and lack of infrastructure, including GP provision.

There are also worries over possible contamination of the land from previous uses.

Three members of the public also wrote in support of the application.

The officer’s report says that the number of homes applied for is considered acceptable.

The report concluded: “In considering the positive aspects of the scheme, subject to the satisfactory completion of a S106 agreement, to ensure necessary infrastructure is secured to support this development and appropriate planning conditions, it is considered that the development would contribute toward the district’s housing stock where future occupiers would likely contribute toward the local economy.

“The scheme would not result in any significant environmental impacts. In weighing the identified harm of the scheme against the identified benefits, it is considered that, on balance, the proposal outweighs any disbenefits of this development.”