D-day for housing masterplan

Hundreds could be built on green fields

- Phil Corrigan [e-mail]

UP TO 1,200 homes could be built on green fields - despite widespread opposition.

Stoke-on-Trent City Council plans to draw up proposals for 80 hectares of council-owned farmland east of Packmoor, potentially involving hundreds of new homes along with improved local services.

Last year the council gave residents the chance to have their say on the future of Packmoor.

The report on the consultation says there is 'a strong and widely held view that opposes any development in Packmoor, with this being the 'clearest and most prevalent' issue expressed by local people.

But council leaders say 'doing nothing is not an option, and insist any development must deliver improvements such as better roads, high-quality open space and expanded NHS provision.

Cabinet members will be asked to approve one of three options for Packmoor next Tuesday: leaving the land as it is; selling individual sites to housebuilders; or drawing up proposals for residential development as part of a masterplan.