A councillor has explained why he wants a review of the rejection of a 650 homes plan for the East of England Showground

Concerns about losing a planning appeal prompted the call for a second look at plans to build 650 homes on the East of England Showground, it has been revealed.

Four councillors have successfully secured a review of Peterborough City Council’s planning committee’s decision on October 15 to reject an outline application to build 650 homes on part of the 164-acre Showground that is occupied by a speedway track and grandstand.

Planners said the loss of the speedway track and the Showground did not outweigh any benefits from the development. However, the land is earmarked for housing in the council’s own Local Plan, which guides where development can take place.

The same committee had also approved a separate outline application to build a further 850 homes plus a leisure village, school, hotel and care village on adjoining land on the Showground.

But Councillor Asim Mahmood, a member of the planning committee, said there were concerns that the reasons for refusing the 650 homes might not hold up if the applicant, AEPG, decided to appeal to the Planning Inspectorate against the rejection.

Cllr Mahmood, who jointly ‘called-in the refusal with Cllr Wayne Fitzgerald (Con), Cllr Jason McNally (Lab) and Cllr Scott Warren (Con), said: “The reasons why I decided to call this application in with others as I felt that not all material considerations were taken into account.

“I felt the recommendations would not be sufficient if challenged at an appeal process.

“I feel that on balance the harm in this case is significantly outweighed by the potential success of this development.

“I fully understand the emotions around the potential loss of the Showground but our decisions must be robust, in line with material facts and we must have confidence in our decision-making process.”

The request for the call-in was approved by council officers who took external legal advice to confirm that the call in request met the necessary criteria.

It means the council’s Appeals and Planning Review Committee will review the decision in the near future. It is thought the meeting could take place on November 19 although this has still to be confirmed.

Speedway fans and residents who have opposed the development have vowed to attend the meeting to urge the refusal be upheld.