New 100 home development in Peterborough approved despite local anger

Homes England has received the go ahead to develop the former Gloucester Centre in Morpeth Close, Orton Longueville, close to Nene Parkway, which it bought from the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust as part of a £20 million deal, which also included sites in Cambridge.

The application was approved my members of Peterborough City Council’s planning committee on Tuesday, with nine votes in favour and one abstention.

This was despite Orton Longueville Parish Council opposing the density of the flats plan, the amount of green space, a potential increase in traffic and the possibility for the site to hold archaeological assets.

A previous archaeological assessment has concluded that there are potentially prehistoric and previously unrecorded Iron Age/Romano British remains present.

The plans had been revised following earlier complaints, including from MP Shailesh Vara, over the layout of the development.

However, despite the redesign which will see the flats placed into four smaller blocks, and the promise of 30 per cent affordable housing at the site, the parish council is disappointed that the homes will not be used for sheltered housing.

Homes England is the Government’s housing accelerator, and a letter submitted on its behalf from Savills to the city council stated: “As you know, it is our clients’ desire to ensure that this development achieves a high quality of design and creates a successful living environment for future residents whilst preserving a good level of amenity for its neighbours.”

The planning committee was asked to consider the question of access to the application site with permission having already been given for outline consent for the erection of up to 100 dwellings.

Following a public exhibition prior to the application being submitted, a petition containing 506 signatures was submitted to the city council.

Moreover, the authority received 204 responses to the plans, of which 198 were objections and two were in favour.