Deadline passes for developers to agree 5,000 home Great Haddon development in Peterborough

Great Haddon plans ENGEMN00120130320125538

Peterborough City Council had given developers until Friday, November 10 to finalise their £75 million contributions towards the site’s infrastructure so the key development could go ahead, but despite “positive progress” legal agreements have not yet been signed.

This was the second deadline set by the council, after an earlier cut-off point of September 30 was extended due to “significant progress” having been made.

Council officers will now refer the development back to the council’s planning committee to request that a new three month extension to the deadline is agreed.

It was the planning committee, back in July, which agreed the original deadline of September 30 for the £75 million contributions - known as a Section 106 agreement - to be signed off.

Simon Machen, director of growth and regeneration at the council, said: “The Planning and Environmental Protection Committee resolved in July 2017 to allow officers to refuse the Great Haddon planning application if the Section 106 (S106) legal agreement had not been signed by the end of September, unless a further period of time was given.

“A subsequent extension was granted until November 10.

“Council officers and the developers have been working hard to conclude the S106 agreement and the practical delivery of what is a very large and complex development. The majority of S106 has now been agreed in principle and detailed drafting of the wording of the agreements is ongoing.

“Due to the positive progress which has been made and the significance of this development to the future growth of the city, officers will take a report back to planning committee on November 28 in order to ask members for a further three months in which to complete and sign the legal agreements.”

North West Cambridgeshire MP Shailesh Vara said: “This matter has been going on for many, many years and it’s deeply disappointing that the council have felt it necessary to give the developers yet another extension.

“The public need certainty and the only way to achieve that is to take some decisive action rather than granting further extensions.”

The first of the 5,350 houses at Great Haddon were due to have been built in 2011.

The project is also expected to deliver 9,000 jobs, four schools, three shopping centres and sports facilities near the A1M and A15.

At the July meeting representatives from the developers - O & H Properties, Marlborough Oasis and Barratt Homes - said an agreement in principle had been reached.

This would see O&H build a loop road through the development from Yaxley either when Marlborough had built 500 homes or by the second quarter of 2022 - whichever was later.

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