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Planning Application for 86 new dwellings off Church Lane to Egg Lane

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Hixon Parish Council  Planning Committee Meeting 10th April 2026

Planning application 25/41489/FUL 86 houses East of Church Lane Hixon

  • Approximately fifty members of the public were present at the above meeting;
  • The Chair of the Hixon Parish Council Planning Committee introduced details of the application, as submitted to Stafford Borough Council, and the various responses from statutory consultees;
  • The important issues in respect of the application and impact were highlighted and members of the public also spoke;
  • All who spoke objected to the planning application.

MAIN ISSUES

  • The proposed development site is outside the settlement boundary as defined in the current Stafford Borough Council Local Plan and the adopted Hixon Neighbourhood Plan;
  • The proposed development would be at odds with the adopted Hixon Neighbourhood Plan in respect of Policies;-
  • Policy 1 (Number and height of buildings);
  • Policy 2 (housing mix. Plan requires 20% bungalow. [ie] seventeen bungalows);
  • Policy 3 (Design and street scene);
  • Policy 4 (Protection of natural environment and wildlife);
  • Policy 5 (Heritage and Culture);
  • Policy 6 (Additional facilities that benefit the wider community);
  • Policy 7 (Reducing need to use own vehicles and improving public transport services and links. Highway safety);

SITE LOCATION AND SUSTAINABILITY

  • Hixon is an unsustainable location remote from nearest towns of Stafford, Uttoxeter, Rugeley and Stone;
  • Hixon lacks the infrastructure to meet the needs of young families and elderly persons; such as access to healthcare, sports, leisure facilities, services and amenities;
  • The proposed development, on elevated agricultural land, would be highly visible and intrusive in the landscape;
  • Brownfield sites in Stafford Borough should be prioritised for development;

PUBLIC TRANSPORT AND ACCESSIBILITY TO HEALTHCARE

  • The only Public Transport Service currently operating is the 841 service between Stafford and Uttoxeter.
  • The first hourly service arrives in Hixon towards Stafford at 07.51. The last bus arrives in Hixon from Stafford at 18.47;
  • It does not operate on Sundays;
  • There is no public transport service that connects Hixon with Doctor’s Surgery and Pharmacy in Great Haywood or Health and Wellbeing Clinic in Rugeley;

EDUCATION

  • Weston Road Academy cannot accommodate additional pupils within its current capacity;
  • Peter’s Primary School has only limited available capacity;
  • The projected number of school age children within the proposed development is highly questionable;
  • 82 (excludes single bedroom apartments) dwellings with 238 bedrooms is likely to attract about 300 residents of all ages;
  • It is unrealistic to project that there would only be 29 children of school age ( 4 to 16 years).
  • Less than one resident in ten would be of school age?

HIGHWAYS

  • The single point of access from Church Lane is on a bend in the road, and was originally for just seven dwellings;
  • The additional thirty St. Peter’s View properties are built along winding and narrow roads;
  • Hixon Parish Council supports the concerns of the Stafford Borough Council Forward Planning Officer in their response Pre-Application Advice.
  • The Officer scores accessibility as just 3/6 and recommends “At this stage the planning position is not to support planning consent until Education and Transport Infrastructure, and ecology and water mitigation have been addressed.”
  • This route is unsuitable to access an additional 86 dwellings and would be dangerous for pedestrians and children playing in the streets;
  • Hixon Parish Council supports the Police Liaison Officer comments on this point; The proposed access would propose vehicles travel along the bendy St Peter’s View to access the larger development.”
  • The significant fall in ground levels (some 5.5m) at the point where the existing road hammer head meets the proposed new road network would be dangerous and difficult to prevent speeding on the downslope;
  • It then leads to a narrowing of the road width to just 3.7m and potential for collision;
  • On the upslope, vehicle engine noise would be intrusive to residents of adjoining dwellings;
  • At this time, there are no comments or report from Staffordshire County Council Highways.

TRAFFIC IMPACT ASSESSMENT (TIA)

  • The TIA underestimates the number of traffic movements generated by the proposed development;
  • The proposed development obviously is targeted at families;
  • 49 three and four bedroom (35 x three bed + 14 x four bed) properties providing a total of 161 bedrooms;
  • There are also over 160 parking spaces shown on the site plan;
  • There are inconsistencies within the projected vehicle movements;
  • Table 3 projects, on the TIA states that 30 vehicles will depart the development at the morning peak time 8am and 9am;
  • 14 vehicles will arrive during the same period;
  • Total 44;
  • 30 vehicles departing the development from 86 properties with 238 bedrooms and over 160 parking spaces is hardly credible.
  • And even if one assumes two persons in each vehicle (sixty total) that still proposes four out of five residents will stay at home;
  • The evening peak time between 5pm and 6pm projects 14 vehicles will arrive and 9 will depart;
  • Total 23;
  • And the figures do not take into account the existing St. Peter’s View properties;
  • Or the growing number of Online orders delivery vehicles;

DATA FROM HIXON PARISH COUNCIL SPEED INDICATOR DEVICE (SID)

  • Data retrieved from the SID when located in Church Lane near St. Peter’s School shows;
  • On an average week day about 200 vehicles pass the Church Lane/S. Peter’s View junction between 8am and 9am;
  • Between 5pm and 6pm about 170 pass the junction.
  • Over a twenty four hour period (5th February 2025);-
  • 1,804 vehicles drove towards Hixon centre;
  • 1,705 vehicles drove out of Hixon;
  • In a 118 day period between February and May 2025, which included weekends and various school holidays;
  • 116,139 vehicles drove towards Hixon via Church Lane (average 984/day)
  • 107,618 vehicles left Hixon via Church Lane (average 886/day).
  • This demonstrates that the Hixon community is already highly dependent on the use of private vehicles to access employment opportunities, services, healthcare, leisure, sport and recreational amenities;
  • Church Lane is only one of three routes into/out of Hixon;
  • New Road from the A51 and Stowe Lane from the A518 are also major arteries.

SAFETY & SECURITY

  • The Police Liaison Officer also comments on boundary treatments and Vulnerable areas, such as side or rear gardens, ““I OBJECT to the proposed development due to the proposed boundary treatments indicated within the submitted plans. It is important that a high level of physical security is incorporated in these proposals and that the following be considered. Need robust defensive barriers to provide additional security and reduce the fear of crime. I recommend any boundary treatments along a public facing realm, should be of 1.8m brick wall construction.”
  • The suggested increased use of the existing pedestrian access to Egg Lane would place pedestrians on a narrow road with no footpath on either side of Egg Lane to the junction with High Street/Smithy Lane. This would put pedestrians at risk of conflict with moving vehicles;

HERITAGE & CULTURE

  • The proposed total demolition of the rare surviving cluster of World War II hospital buildings, described as Undesignated Heritage Asset, is not justified and would be contrary to Hixon Neighbourhood Plan Policy 5 (Heritage & Culture);
  • Hixon Parish Council supports the comments raised by the Stafford Borough Council Conservation Officer and their objection to the development. “WWII RAF Hixon hospital is a rare surviving cluster. The proposal seeks to totally demolish the heritage buildings without providing any meaningful justification. The application, as submitted, does not meet the required threshold for informed decision making and should be refused on Heritage grounds.”

WILDLIFE AND ENVIRONMENT

  • The Newt Officer comments that the “development falls within the RED IMPACT ZONE for Great Crested Newts.”
  • Red zones are high-risk areas for Great Crested Newts (GCN), indicating key populations of regional, national, or international importance. Planning permission can be refused if adequate information is not provided:
  • Bats are a protected species and are known to be roosting in the cluster of World War II hospital buildings

FLOODING AND FLOOD RISK

  • Current residents of St. Peter’s View complain of frequent incidents of flooding and all-year-round wet ground.
  • Hixon Parish Council supports the comments and objection raised by Staffordshire County Council Flood Risk Management Team. “We have reviewed the submitted information and there is insufficient detail provided assessing flood risk and surface water drainage on site. We would therefore recommend that planning permission is not granted until this has been resolved.”

FOUL DRAINAGE (EXISTING CAPACITY AND PROJECTED ADDITIONAL FLOWS)

  • The development detail proposes all foul drainage will be connected to an existing150mm diameter pipe at Manhole 1510;
  • This system continues under Church Lane and connects to a combined system (with storm water);
  • It would appear Severn Trent Water Company has not been consulted, or not yet responded to, a question of the capacity of its drainage system to accept the additional flows.

For all of the above reasons, Hixon Parish Council OBJECTS to planning application  25/41489/FUL 86 houses East of Church Lane Hixon.

Susan McKeown – Chair Hixon Parish Council, Planning Committee.

To make a comment direct to Stafford Borough Council Planning click link below

https://www12.staffordbc.gov.uk/online-applications/applicationDetails.do?activeTab=makeComment&keyVal=T6G4SHPSK5700

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