Objections mount over plans for 175 new homes in Whittlesey

Plans for 175 new homes in Whittlesey have been inundated with objections from local residents.

Last month, plans were submitted by Alison Homes to built 175 new homes on an 8.1 hectare plot on open land south of Drybread Road.

Plans were described in the plans as a “suitable extension” to the market town, in respect of the local character, economic growth and new facilities.

Among the objectors is Whittlesey Town Council, which has refused to support the application due to the current road structure being unsuitable and the face that the land is outside of the agreed neighbourhood plan.

The objection also stated: “The main point we need to raise is that our schools have no more room. Even with the extension of our senior school, this was predicted to have a lifespan of eight years without taking into account those developments that have been agreed since that proposal was agreed.

"We can evidence this with our current numbers and recent successful appeals for just one additional student, never mind the numbers any new development will bring.”

The NHS Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Integrated Care Board insisted that a developer’s contribution would be required to mitigate the impact of the proposals.

They said: “The proposed development is likely to have an impact on the services of the two GP practices operating within the vicinity of the development, Jenner Healthcare and Lakeside Healthcare and New Queen Street Surgery.

"These practices have a combined registered patient list size of 36,790 and this development of 175 dwellings would see an increase in patient pressure of circa 403 new residents which would require additional workforce to support the increase in appointments.

“The ICB has sought advice from its NHS partner, NHS Property Services Ltd, on recent costs benchmarks for healthcare developments for a single-storey extension to an existing premises and refurbishment.

"Payment should be made before the development commences. This sum should be secured through a planning obligation linked to any grant of planning permission ‐ in the form of a Section 106 planning obligation – with the proposal that the sum be used to fund a project which increases clinical capacity at one of the GP practices.

In their objections, residents also raised concerns about the access to doctors in the town and traffic concerns.

One objector said: “There simply is not the infrastructure in Whittlesey to cope with the increasing houses currently being built.

"Drybread Road is not sufficient to have the increase in traffic, especially as it hosts Alderman Jacobs School and due to the increment in traffic, there is an accident waiting to happen. My parents are residents on Drybread Road, and they see the speed traffic drive and adding more traffic will only increase the risk on this road.”

Another said: “The extra 175 dwellings will exacerbate the pressures on the two GP surgeries, the local schools and one dental surgery, all of which are struggling to cope with recent 600 plus dwellings recently built.

"Local roads will struggle even more with the unrealistic increase in traffic, especially as there is no increased provision for public transport.”

The application can be viewed on Fenland District Council’s planning portal using reference F/YR23/0245/O.