Last week the third planning application for 14 homes at a site in Stansted was refused by Uttlesford’s planning committee.

I was on holiday in Scotland last week so could not attend in person to express my objections; so I sent along a video (*) which was viewed by the planning committee. The text is available here. Parish councillors Catherine Dean and Peter Jones attended in person and also spoke against the officers’ recommendation for approval.

The application was resoundingly refused. Twelve members voted for refusal. Only two – the committee chairman and the committee vice chairman – voted against refusal.

The planning officers’ report came in for much criticism for lack of logic. At least one committee member said that reading the report led him to assume a recommendation for refusal; the opposite of the actual recommendation for approval.

Two previous applications were refused in 2012 at this site, also for 14 homes; one reason for refusal being over-development of the site. This latest application was for 14 homes and a three-storey commercial building with a large parking shortfall. The committee report presented this as an improvement that overcame the previous reason for refusal.

I DON’T GET IT! NOR DID THE COMMITTEE!

Stansted’s economic development working group meets next Monday to start the next stage of bring jobs and services but not homes crammed in to this part of Stansted’s town centre.

(*) The video was produced with the kind assistance of Steve French at Box Bear Interactive Media.