The site
The 25.32ha site is located to the east of Eccleshall, lying between Stone Road and Stafford Road. As such, it provides the opportunity for a vehicular link between these two key local routes. The site lies on the settlement edge of Eccleshall, immediately east of the Sancerre Grange development.
Site location plan - click to enlarge
The emerging outline vision
The emerging vision for the site is for a holistic development to contribute to the Borough’s housing need over the next 15 years at a scale that will provide tangible community infrastructure planned in from the outset.
Family, accessible and affordable homes reflecting the character of Eccleshall
The landscape-led development would deliver up to 500 homes, up to 30% of which would be affordable homes. The new homes could include homes specifically designed for those wishing to downsize into more manageable or accessible properties, as well as a range of high-quality family homes.
Bloor Homes is always happy to discuss local occupancy criteria for affordable homes with the local planning authority, if this is something that is identified as a local priority. This would ensure that people on lower incomes with connections to Eccleshall would be prioritised for affordable housing.
Bloor Homes is developing a bespoke Staffordshire Design Code, informed by the character, materiality and architecture of the county’s towns and villages, including Eccleshall. It is envisaged that the frontage homes at the development would be from this bespoke range, reflecting the existing heritage and character of the town.
A recent Bloor Homes development in Newport - click to enlarge
A new school on the east side of Eccleshall
The emerging outline proposals includes a 1.2ha site for a new primary school. The current school in Eccleshall is located on the south-western side of the town, while much of the recent residential development is located to the east. Providing a new school on the east side of the town could deliver numerous benefits, including relieving traffic pressures on the town centre at peak hours and reducing reliance on the car for school journeys.
A new purpose-built health centre for Eccleshall
The proposals include a 0.36ha site for the delivery of a modern new purpose-built health centre to be operated by Eccleshall’s Crown Surgery. The practice currently operates from the Grade-II listed building on the High Street which is at capacity with little scope to expand. Providing a modern new health centre at the proposed development would provide a facility for the practice to relocate and expand provision to meet the future needs of the community.
Extensive green public open space
A significant proportion of the overall development site would be provided as green public open space providing a range of open space facilities which could include play areas, wildflower areas, community orchards and areas for informal outdoor play.
Our holistic approach to delivering Eccleshall’s future housing needs will deliver community infrastructure planned in from the outset
Planning policy context
The site is located outside the greenbelt and occupies a highly sustainable location on the edge of the settlement boundary of Eccleshall. As such, it was submitted via Stafford Borough Council’s latest Call for Sites as ECC06 and promoted through the Council’s review of the Local Plan.
Local Plan Review
Local planning authorities are required by Government to update their Local Plans every five years. The current Local Plan for the Borough was adopted in 2017 and has now fallen significantly out of date. Progress on producing a Local Plan Review for the Borough has been delayed.
Increased housing targets
Changes to the National Planning Policy Framework announced by the new Government in late 2024 has doubled the number of homes Stafford Borough will need to deliver from 358 to 782 homes per year. This has left Stafford Borough Council will less than a three year housing land supply. Government requires councils to be able to demonstrate a five year supply of housing land.
Holistic approach to homes and infrastructure
With continued uncertainty on the progress of a new Local Plan and significantly increased pressure to deliver new homes, Bloor Homes is now preparing to bring forward an outline planning application while continuing to promote the site through the ongoing Local Plan Review. This approach will enable the early delivery of much-needed new homes at a sustainable location through the emerging Local Plan, while providing crucial community infrastructure in terms of a new school, health centre and highways connections planned in from the outset.
The alternative to this holistic approach to planned growth in Eccleshall is that a range of developers to submit planning applications for smaller developments on numerous sites around the town in the absence of an up-to-date Local Plan. Together, these would deliver a number of homes at a scale similar to or in excess of what we are proposing, but with each individual development at a scale insufficient to include meaningful infrastructure. Our approach delivers most of Eccleshall’s future housing need in one planning application, enabling the development to provide infrastructure planned in from the outset, including a new school, new health centre, and spine road linking Stafford Road with Stone Road.
The new NPPF has doubled Stafford Borough’s housing targets from 358 to 782 new homes per year
A focus on sustainability and biodiversity
Bloor Homes wants to deliver homes that are sustainable now and contribute to a cleaner, greener future, acknowledging that sustainability is hugely important to communities across the country. The new homes at Eccleshall would be built to Future Homes Standard, meaning a gas-free development with new homes incorporating air source heat pumps, PV cells, uprated insulation and EV charging infrastructure. This will deliver a neighbourhood of net zero carbon ready homes.
We want to deliver a vibrant, healthy neighbourhood, with a focus on providing extensive green public open spaces and significant biodiversity enhancements. Existing mature trees and hedgerows will be retained where possible and enhanced with new landscape planting, delivering a significant increase in tree cover across the site. A blue infrastructure scheme for the site will deliver high quality wetland habitats.
Bloor Homes is a member of the Homes for Nature programme which will see the installation of swift nesting boxes in every new home and hedgehog highways between gardens.
There is an existing public right of way (Eccleshall 17) crossing the site. This would be retained and enhanced within landscaped green corridors.
Community aspirations survey and consultation next steps
We are continuing to carry out technical work to shape the emerging plans and will be carrying out more detailed consultation with the community later in the spring of 2025 as the outline plans take shape. To help inform this process, we have created a short community aspirations survey to understand local peoples’ priorities for the future growth of Eccleshall.
The next stage of consultation will be widely publicised, however if you would like to receive direct email notification, please ensure you opt-in to receive email updates at the end of the survey or on our contact page.
