Plans for 900 homes in countryside move forward
Plans to build 900 homes on the outskirts of a town have been given outline permission.
North Herts Council agreed on Thursday the development could go ahead, though full details would need to be ironed out in future planning applications.
The site to the south of Graveley, near to the Lister Hospital, will also include a primary school, community centre and possible medical facility.
An initial masterplan - described as an "extension to Stevenage" - was rejected by the council last July but the revised proposal was unanimously approved.
North Herts councillor Ruth Brown said: "It's an allocated site in the Local Plan and so I think the principle of development should be approved.
"The public are very worried about the health provision, I think, and the highways issues.
"We've probed those and I feel quite satisfied that there is a preference for an on-site health facility and everything will be done to deliver that if at all possible."
A new 92 bus route will be created between Stevenage and Baldock, calling at the development as well as Graveley and Letchworth, but the applicant warned it may not be ready for "day one" of people moving into the development.
The applicant said that the 55 bus route between Stevenage and Letchworth, which goes past the proposed site, would likely be "within comfortable walking distance" for the first residents.
Concerns had been raised at an earlier stage about the development's impact on traffic, and councillor Martin Prescott suggested it was a "monumental elephant in the room".
But Hertfordshire Highways raised no objections to the plans, which include a new junction on North Road, south of the existing junction from North Road and Graveley Road.
The development is also set to include multiple children's play areas as well as other open spaces such as allotments, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.
About 40% of the housing on site will be deemed affordable, according to the government definition of the term.
Follow Beds, Herts and Bucks news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
Town gets green light for 1,500 new homes
New £900m life science campus approved
Unique 1960s house is saved from development plan
North Herts Council
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
05-06-2025
- Yahoo
Plans for asphalt site recommended for approval
Plans for an asphalt plant which objectors claim would pose a danger to public health could be given the go-ahead by councillors. Tynedale Roadstone Ltd wants to build a facility at Allerton Waste Recovery Park by the side of the A1(M) in North Yorkshire to make road surface products. It said assessments had confirmed the site was capable of supporting the proposed scheme with "no significant impact on the environment" and that there would be no breaches of national air quality objectives. Officers at North Yorkshire Council have recommended the application should be approved, with councillors set to discuss the plans on 10 June. Under the plans, the site would reuse material from an adjacent waste recovery plant. Almost 200 formal objections have been submitted against the plans, including some from local parish councils, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said. Critics of the plans have raised a wide range of concerns, including fears over pollution, dust, noise, smell, ground contamination and traffic problems. A petition containing more than 1,000 signatures has also been submitted against the scheme. In its response, Kirk Hammerton Parish Council said: "This represents a risk to public health in surrounding villages and is an obvious concern for residents of Kirk Hammerton." Goldsborough and Flaxby Parish Council also submitted an objection, stating: "Why is a 'dirty' process such as this even considered at Allerton? "Why is it even needed at all? It should not be in a rural location and should not be allowed to be erected next to an incinerator that is already spoiling a rural location." Council planning officers have said the proposal is "considered to be sustainable" and conditions attached to approval can "mitigate any effects". The Environment Agency had initially objected to the application, but subsequently withdrew it on the proviso that various conditions would be met. Listen to highlights from North Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North. Campaigners meet MP over asphalt plant plans Campaigners object to plan for asphalt plant North Yorkshire Council
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Yahoo
Shop has licence revoked over 1,000 illegal vapes
A convenience shop has had its licence revoked after 1,000 illegal vapes were confiscated from its premises. Jordanthorpe Food & Wine, located on Dyche Lane in Sheffield, was initially visited by Trading Standards in 2023 over reports of vapes being sold to under-18s. After 1,176 illegal vapes were seized across multiple site visits, the shop was referred to the city council's licensing committee on grounds of preventing crime and protecting children from harm. The solicitor representing the shop's owner said he was sorry, and had been "naïve" to not realise the vapes, which had been sourced from wholesalers, were illegal. A Trading Standards report stated the seized vapes were not permitted for sale in the UK and were therefore "suspected to have been smuggled or illegally imported". "[They] should not be stocked in wholesale or retail premises for supply," it added. In February 2023, 468 illegal vapes were seized from the shop, followed by 466 more exactly one year later, and a further 242 confiscated in December 2024. A mystery shopper for Trading Standards was able to buy a vape for £10 in January, which the authority said showed the shop "had not listened to previous repeated requests to stop selling illegal vapes". Its most recent visit on 8 May found more illegal vapes and more than a dozen packets of illegal hand-rolled tobacco, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said. South Yorkshire Police previously said the sale of illegal vapes was closely linked to organised crime gangs and urged the committee to revoke the store's licence. Sheffield Children Safeguarding Partnership labelled the shop as an "unsafe and criminal environment". The committee opted to revoke the licence following a short deliberation. Listen to highlights from South Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North National Trading Standards Call for council to take action over illegal vapes Millions of vapes seized in illegal trade crackdown 'I don't know what we'll do' - Vapers panic-buy ahead of disposables ban
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Yahoo
Man suffering with Chron's calls on Bromley Sainsbury's to reopen toilets
A South Londoner with Crohn's disease has called on Sainsbury's to reopen toilets in its Bromley superstore, saying people like him are being limited without easy access to the facilities. While one disabled toilet remains open at the supermarket in Walters Yard, the closure of the main toilets following vandalism and 'misuse' means asking a member of staff for the key. In Olly Russell's case, that means he feels 'limited' because he fears being caught short. Olly Russell The 41-year-old, who lives in Shortlands, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS): 'Having access to a toilet is incredibly important because sometimes you get caught short and you just have to go. 'If you only have one toilet for everybody – so people with physical disabilities, people with unseen disabilities, mothers with their children, all of that – it's not workable.' Crohn's is a type of inflammatory bowel disease that causes parts of the gut to become inflamed, swollen, and ulcerated. Symptoms include gut pain, diarrhoea, weight loss and fatigue. Mr Russell believes that the toilet closure will negatively affect customers with medical conditions like Crohn's, as well as the elderly and parents with young children. In response to Sainsbury's decision to close the toilets over their misuse and vandalism, Mr Russell said that staff and security guards at the store should take more notice of the toilets on a day-to-day basis in order to prevent any misuse from occurring. He said: 'With Sainsbury's doing this, it will eventually affect their bottom line. Maybe not in a very clear way, but for a certain subset of people who do have disabilities, it can change where you go to shop. 'I'm not asking for any real special treatment. All I want is the option for a toilet I can just access instantly without a passcode or without a key or without some sort of rigmarole because often, you've not got much time.' Sam Webber, a Liberal Democrat Bromley councillor, has also criticised the closure. He feared that if the Sainsbury's toilets in Bromley continue to remain closed, it could have a domino effect on the supermarket chain's other stores in the borough, such as the ones in Beckenham, Penge, Orpington, Chislehurst and Locksbottom. Cllr Webber said: 'I raised this issue in the Bromley Council chamber because I am very concerned about the impact on our most vulnerable residents. "Those with conditions like Crohn's, as well as elderly residents and those with children, should not be forced to queue up and request a key for the disabled toilet in the Bromley Sainsbury's store. 'I am even more concerned that the other five Sainsbury's superstores will gradually see their toilets closed too. I hope Sainsbury's will now think again on this. If not, I suspect many of their customers will be voting with their feet and shopping elsewhere.' Marianne Radcliffe, CEO of charity Crohn's & Colitis UK, said: 'Public toilets are vital for people living with Crohn's and colitis, because symptoms include needing to use the loo frequently and urgently. "While it is good that an accessible toilet will still be available at this supermarket, customers will still have to spend time finding a staff member to get a key to open it. And that will be challenging due to needing toilet access quickly. 'Crohn's and colitis are among a number of invisible conditions, so it is important to remember that someone may look fine, but need toilet access urgently; not every disability is visible. Crohn's & Colitis UK works in partnership with other charities as part of the London Loo Alliance to remind people that toilet access plays a crucial part in making sure London is the welcoming city we all need it to be.' In response to the concerns raised by Mr Russell, a Sainsbury's spokesperson said: 'Due to ongoing challenges with misuse, we made the difficult decision to close some of the toilets at our Bromley store last year and are sorry for any inconvenience this may cause. "Our accessible toilet remains available for customers who may need it, with our colleagues on hand to provide access.'
