Residents in Lightwood, Stoke-on-Trent, have renewed their opposition to plans to build 3,000 homes on green belt land after the city council kept the allocation unchanged in its latest draft local plan.
The 113 hectare site, known as site BL1, is now the single largest housing allocation in Stoke-on-Trent's draft local plan. Thousands of residents objected during a consultation last year, raising concerns over loss of green belt, wildlife impact and pressure on local roads. The council has not reduced the allocation despite this feedback.
Public meeting organised to coordinate response
Lightwood Community Group held a public meeting on Wednesday night to discuss the local plan. Group chair David Evans said the community submitted close to 2,500 objections during the first consultation but the council had not listened.
"So what we're saying now is we've got to fight, we've got to be fact-based, we have to put arguments forward that people will listen to," Evans told the meeting.
Community group leaders urged residents to respond to the new consultation.
Concerns raised over infrastructure and traffic
Cocknage resident Lorraine Zutshi outlined the scale of potential impact. A development of 3,000 homes would generate more than 7,000 car trips a day, create demand for 1,140 school places and 47,000 extra GP appointments, she said.
"One of the reasons I moved here was because I really valued the green space and the nature around us," Zutshi added. "We understand that more homes are needed, but when you look around Stoke-on-Trent, it baffles me why we can't build on more brownfield sites, and build up not out."
Sadaqat Maqsoom, councillor for Lightwood North and Normacot, said the development would fundamentally change the community if it remains in the plan. "The plan talks about protecting the environment, and yet it proposes building on green belt. It talks about sustainable development, and yet residents continue to raise concerns about infrastructure, traffic and local services," he said.
Council and political response
Stoke-on-Trent South MP Allison Gardner has previously called for the council to draw up a masterplan for the Lightwood site, as it has done for Packmoor.
The council said the local plan aims to strike a balance between providing enough homes for Stoke-on-Trent's needs and protecting the city's green spaces. Council leaders cited high housing demands in Stoke-on-Trent and government desire to deliver 1.5 million new homes as factors in the decision.
The local plan, once adopted, will guide all development in Stoke-on-Trent up to 2040, determining where approximately 19,000 homes will be built.
