Planning Inspectorate Greenlights 110 New Homes in March

We are delighted to share a significant milestone for Allison Homes and the community of March.

More than 100 much-needed new homes have been allowed on appeal by the Planning Inspectorate after Fenland District Council Planning Committee’s decision to refuse a planning application in the market town of March.

The Planning Inspectorate determined that the committee’s reasons for refusal were not sound or justified and that the proposal complied with the Council’s planning policies.

The site, off Upwell Road in March, had already been identified by Fenland District Council as a suitable location for housing in the council’s most recent draft Local Plan – a key local planning policy created by local councils that confirms where it would like to see new homes built to support its growth needs.

The plans had also been recommended for approval by the council’s planning officers as the application complied with the Local Plan policies and the proposal had suitably addressed drainage, flooding, and traffic matters.

The decision by the Planning Inspectorate means that the application has now been approved and work can begin, once detailed designs (Reserved Matters) have been approved and relevant conditions discharged.

The new development, which will be built by Allison Homes, will create 110 high quality new homes in a variety of sizes and styles to meet local need, and will include up to 22 much needed affordable homes which will be provided through registered housing associations or affordable housing schemes to support local people. The development is also expected to provide around £300,000 towards NHS, highway/footpath improvements and local library provision through developer contributions.

Glyn Mabey, Managing Director of Allison Homes East Region, said: “While we take no joy in appealing the decisions made by planning committees, in this instance it was clear that our plans had met all the requirements set out by the council’s planning policies, on a site that the council had identified as a place where it would like to see new houses built.

“We understand the concerns that local people have regarding traffic congestion and flooding. As with all our planning applications, we are required to work closely with planning officers, statutory consultees and Anglian Water, to make sure that all these areas are thoroughly considered, and the necessary on-site and off-site infrastructure is put in place to support the new development. With this application, all bodies were happy with the plans that had been put in place.

“Now this decision has been made, we will now work quickly to present detailed designs of the houses and layout for final approval. We then look forward to starting to build the new homes later this year.

Full details of the Planning Inspectorate’s decision can be found here.