Development Elford Rise
Stafford Borough Council Shaws Lane
Civic Centre, Riverside Eccleshall
Stafford, ST16 3AQ ST216JB
23rd October 2025
RE: Planning Application 25/41016/OUT, Site off Campion Close, Eccleshall
I am writing to object to the above Planning Application which proposes 48 houses to be built on green field land off Campion Close, Eccleshall.
As a resident on Shaws Lane I have serious concerns about the impact of this development on the local area.
The Leader of Stafford Borough Council said, at the Cabinet meeting on 16th October that developments would not be decided on a first come first served basis and that the Council would not support disproportionate building. Cllr Ant Reid also spoke saying the Council have the tools to stop overdevelopment and that Eccleshall should not get more than its fair proportion of developments.
The Council will be open to legal challenge if developments are approved when the infrastructure to support them are not in place.
I put forward the following detailed objections to material considerations ;
1. Over development on the edge of Eccleshall
The proposed site lies outside the established settlement boundary and would result in the permanent loss of open countryside which is contrary to local planning principles and the intent of the Neighbourhood plan. This area of land is valuable grade 3 BMV agricultural land and is currently used for grazing and hay production. Acceptance of greenfield development would lead to uncontrolled building of houses in the countryside. There are 746 empty houses in Stafford Borough (West Midlands Region Long term Empty Homes Survey) which, if used would for fill a large part of the 5 year supply requirement placed on Stafford Borough Council
2. Traffic, Road Safety and Noise and Air Pollution
Cross Butts and the surrounding roads already experience high traffic volumes and limited visibility. Adding dozens of extra cars will only make conditions worse, particularly near the school at the beginning and end of the school day together with other pedestrian areas. The A519 Newport Road is a busy main road with high volumes of daily traffic:
The proposed plans include a new access road onto the Newport Road which would potentially cause a danger especially with the entrance to P &M Edwards Garden Centre and the Cross Butts junction being within 100 meters of the proposed access which creates a new hazard and accident risk.
The access to the site is approximately half to the A519 Newport Road and the other half to Cross Butts via the Langton Park Estate. Creating another access on to the very busy Newport Road, particularly on the downhill stretch before the turning to Cross Butts and near the entrance to P & M Edwards Garden Centre. The Newport Road is extremely busy, especially in peak hours when approximately 300 vehicles per hour travel this section of road. (based on speed detection camera data, May to September 2025).
The access to Cross Butts will add approximately 7 vehicle movements (20 x 0.353) to the current 28 from Overton Manor, 19 from the Muller development south of Shaws Lane and 53 from the proposed development north of Shaws Lane, a total of 107 vehicles per hour, without adding in the residents of the area who don’t live in Overton Manor. This well exceeds the maximum recommended for residential roads of 60 vehicles per hour.
Additional traffic from the development will simply add to the traffic congestion and known parking issues in the town, especially the High Street.
3. Pressure on local infrastructure
Bishop’s Lonsdale Primary School and The Crown Surgery and other local services are already under pressure and this development offers no clear plan to help address this strain.
4. Flooding and Drainage Risks
The site and nearby areas suffer from surface water flooding and poor drainage due to the very high clay content of the soil and new properties; driveways and roads would interfere with the natural drainage and worsen the problems.
The Eccleshall Flood Action Group (formed in 2021) has recorded severe and frequent flooding.
Severn Trent admits the sewage system is not fit for purpose. Tankers are already used to manage overflows on a daily basis.
Planned improvements are 20 years away, yet the situation is deteriorating now.
BBC data (2024) revealed 62,000 sewage spills lasting 454,000 hours. Replacing permeable farmland with housing will worsen flood risk, surface runoff, and strain on sewage infrastructure.
Approving development before resolving these issues is both irresponsible and unsafe.
5. Ecological and Landscape Harm
This green field land contains woodland, extensive hedgerows and wildlife habitats. The woodland is spectacular and has trees such as 40 feet high Oak and Pine trees that have been established for over 80 years and are a key feature of the neighbourhood. It is visually important to the edge of the village, and its loss would negatively impact the biodiversity and landscape character.
6. Local Plan & Housing Targets
The adopted Stafford Borough Plan (2011–2031) allocated 10,000 homes across the Borough, with Key Service Villages intended to absorb 12% of this growth. Yet by March 2020, these villages had already absorbed 22%, almost double the target.
Eccleshall alone has grown by 350 homes in the past 10 years, the highest of any Key Service Village.
The Local Plan states that housing should be delivered equitably across the Borough. This has clearly not been upheld.
Further development in Eccleshall is unsustainable due to inadequate infrastructure and risks permanently eroding its rural identity.
A recent Parliamentary debate confirmed that other pending developments in the area must be treated as material considerations — collectively, they could increase Eccleshall’s size by 75%, which is excessive and unjustified.
I am not opposed to all development — but this application is inappropriate, unsustainable, and damaging to the fabric of Eccleshall. It threatens:
• Our local identity and heritage
• Our environment and biodiversity
• Our safety and infrastructure
• The quality of life of current and future residents
• Once farmland and hedgerows are lost, they are lost forever.
I urge the Borough Council to reject the speculative development and protect Eccleshall countryside and its residents from unsustainable expansion.
Please can you confirm receipt of this letter
Yours sincerely
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