This page brings together the key resources you need to understand and challenge the planning applications currently facing Eccleshall. Here you’ll find guides to making objections, template letters, and links to important council and government documents that set out the rules around planning and development.
Whether you want to submit a personal objection, read the policies that developers are supposed to follow, or learn more about how planning decisions are made, this section is designed to help you. The more informed we are as a community, the stronger our collective voice becomes.
1. How Planning Officers and Committees Assess Applications
Planning Officers and Planning Committees are required to assess:
- whether a proposal aligns with the adopted spatial strategy and settlement hierarchy;
- whether the impacts are acceptable and capable of mitigation; and
A proposal may deliver housing but still be unacceptable if it:
- undermines the settlement hierarchy,
- overloads existing infrastructure, or
- relies on uncertain or future mitigation outside the applicant’s control.
2. Eccleshall – Scale and Settlement Context
- Eccleshall has a population of approximately 5,000. Proposal would add around 1,400 people, an increase of circa 20%.
- Eccleshall village covers roughly 750,000 sqm; the site extends approximately 250,000 sqm, increasing the village footprint by around one third.
- This represents strategic-scale development, typically associated with major urban extensions rather than sustainable village growth.
Within the Plan for Stafford Borough 2011–2031:
- Eccleshall is identified as a Key Service Village.
- The Plan directs the majority of growth to Stafford, a smaller proportion to Stone, and only a collective modest share across all Key Service Villages.
The Borough’s total housing requirement is 10,000 dwellings.
Only 12% (around 1,200 dwellings) were intended across all Key Service Villages combined.
This single proposal would deliver around 40% of that entire village allocation in one settlement.
This represents:
- an unplanned redistribution of growth,
- a disproportionate burden on one community, and
- a clear departure from the spatial strategy.
This scale cannot reasonably be described as “organic village growth”. It constitutes a step-change in settlement size, role and infrastructure demand.
3. Five-Year Housing Land Supply and Housing Delivery Test (Explained Simply)
Five-Year Housing Land Supply
Local authorities must demonstrate sufficient deliverable housing sites to meet their housing requirement over the next five years. Stafford Borough currently falls short of this test.
However, the Borough has over-delivered housing overall since 2011 and the shortfall is largely a timing and pipeline issue, not a lack of allocated land.
Housing Delivery Test (HDT)
The Housing Delivery Test measures how many homes have actually been built over the previous three years compared to the requirement.
Stafford Borough has passed the Housing Delivery Test, meaning it is not failing to deliver housing in practice.
From a Planning Officer’s perspective, this is important because:
- it demonstrates that housing delivery is occurring; and
- it reduces the weight that can be placed on arguments that any large housing scheme must be approved regardless of location.
Using a village-edge strategic scheme to address a borough-wide timing issue is therefore a poor fit and risks undermining the plan-led system.
4. National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF)
The NPPF introduces a presumption in favour of sustainable development where policies are out of date. However, this is not a blank cheque.
The “tilted balance” only applies where:
- adverse impacts do not significantly and demonstrably outweigh the benefits.
In this case, when sustainability is considered as a whole, significant concerns arise due to:
- limited transport choice,
- infrastructure uncertainty, and
Objection Letter to Bloor Homes Development by Eric Farnworth
This sample objection letter by local resident Eric Farnworth powerfully outlines why the proposed Bloor Homes development east of Eccleshall should be reconsidered. Eric emphasises critical issues such as ecological harm, increased traffic, pressure on sewer systems, and the long-term loss of greenfield land. He also highlights policy-based concerns, including the town’s strong standing in government planning frameworks and the wider need to focus development on brownfield sites. Use this letter as inspiration for your own objection—personalised, factual, and rooted in our community’s values.
Stafford Borough Council Local Plan
The Stafford Borough Local Plan sets out where new housing, infrastructure, and services will go across the borough. It is the key document used to decide planning applications, including those affecting Eccleshall. By understanding the Local Plan, residents can see how development is being directed, where Eccleshall fits within the wider strategy, and how to make stronger, policy-based objections.
Local Plan Evidence Base
The Evidence Base Documents underpin the Local Plan by providing the data and analysis that inform planning policies and decisions. These include assessments on infrastructure needs, flooding and water, biodiversity, housing requirements, green spaces, and site selection criteria. Understanding this evidence allows Eccleshall residents to:
- See how and why key decisions are made
- Identify weaknesses or gaps in the council’s planning case
- Support their objections with up-to-date, relevant data
These documents are vital tools for anyone wanting to engage with or challenge planning proposals in a meaningful way.
Local Plan Updates
The Local Development Scheme (LDS) sets out Stafford Borough Council’s timetable for producing planning documents, including the new Local Plan 2025–2045. It shows when consultations, drafts, and examinations will take place.
For Eccleshall residents, the LDS is important because it highlights when and how you can get involved to influence future planning decisions.
NPPF Planning Guidelines
The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) sets the Government’s rules for planning across England. It guides all local decisions, including those affecting Eccleshall.
It matters because it:
- Requires development to be sustainable and supported by infrastructure
- Allows refusal if proposals cause serious local harm
- Gives weight to neighbourhood planning and protecting local character
Knowing the NPPF helps us make stronger, policy-based objections.
Eccleshall Neighbourhood Plan
The Eccleshall Neighbourhood Plan (2011–2031) is a community-led framework created with extensive local input to guide planning decisions in our parish. Alongside the National Planning Policy Framework and the Stafford Borough Local Plan, it provides policies that help protect our town’s character, green spaces, and local heritage. The Borough Council must consider this Neighbourhood Plan when assessing any planning application in Eccleshall—making it a powerful tool for ensuring that future development respects our values and environment.
