100 new homes approved near Stansted Airport
They will be built in a protected area of countryside at Takeley
More than 100 homes will be built in a protected area of countryside in Essex by Stansted Airport.
Outline permission for the plans for 110 homes in Takeley by Stonebond Ltd were approved on appeal in January 2021, with Uttlesford District Council deciding on the final details at a planning committee meeting yesterday morning (April 28).
The Old House Green development will be built in the Countryside Protection Zone (CPZ), a protected area surrounding Stansted Airport aimed at mitigating its impact on neighbouring towns and villages.
A design and access statement for the scheme said it would act as a northern gateway to the village.
A section read: “Old House Green, the proposed development on land west of Parsonage Road in Takeley, will create a sensitively designed, sustainable and integrated extension to Takeley.
“It will provide the significant benefit of delivery of the open space – Old House Green which will be publicly accessible to the wider community and to the residents of this development.”
Despite the scheme’s earlier refusal, many committee members praised the final plan for its low density, large amount of open space and noise mitigation measures.
Councillor Richard Freeman (Residents for Uttlesford, Saffron Walden Castle) said: “It’s got much to commend it, I feel positive about it as well.”
However, Councillor Maggie Sutton (RfU, Takeley) criticised the size and placement of a proposed apartment block.
She said: “You’ve got to remember this was outside development limits, it was in the CPZ and yes it was given on appeal, but it’s still part of the countryside, it still depicts what Takeley is and I’m very disappointed to think we are going to have a high, three-storey apartment block in the front.
“Personally I’d rather not see three-storey buildings in our district at all, but to have the three-storey apartment block stuck straight in front of that particular development is very disturbing to me, because it doesn’t show what Takeley is.
“When you look at the policy, the design guide, we should be looking at the scale, form, layout and appearance of the surrounding buildings, and this isn’t.”
Councillor Neil Reeve (RfU, Broad Oak & The Hallingburys) said: “I think all of us would probably have not wanted that site there because of the CPZ issue and all the rest, but the fact is that’s done and dusted, we can’t do anything about that, live with what we’ve got.
“I’ve come down on the side that this is an acceptable proposal.”