Planning sunk to new depths of muddle and obfuscation at Uttlesford this week. Smoke and mirrors were deployed by the planning establishment to try to get an application in Stansted approved. They failed by 8 votes to 5.

The committee chairman and planning officers tried desperately to fulfil a privately made invitation extended to Bellway Homes to seek permission for 14 homes at 10-28 Cambridge Road, Stansted. This was a politically driven initiative by Conservative leading members to plug the future housing gap which they have wilfully created by neglecting for almost five years the production of a credible local plan.

Thankfully, few planning committee members were on Wednesday not taken in by this. They were not prepared to undermine the viability of Stansted’s town centre by cramming it full of homes; by driving out jobs and services from land where they are best suited.   

Sadly, our planning officers were left with egg on their faces as they tried to defend the indefensible mess created by leading Tories. They were inconsistent. They took a pick ‘n’ mix approach to planning policies for employment land to try to defend the developer’s plans.

I couldn’t be at the meeting, so my speech of representation was read by Cllr Janice Loughlin.  

In addition to mine, there were speeches supporting refusal of the application from district councillor Iris Evans (read in her absence by Cllr John Salmon), from parish councillor Catherine Dean and by Peter Jones speaking as a resident, though he is a parish councillor. This was a strong Con-Lib Dem coalition against a misguided development.

Bellway Homes has now suffered two refusals in as many months. They have submitted an appeal. I hope they now see sense and withdraw gracefully rather than continue to fight for their “exclusive enclave” and risk further damage to their reputation.

Meanwhile, work will continue on a master plan for the centre of Stansted to help make it a commercial success.