Completing the Preferred Options Survey

Introduction

The survey requires some basic information, including your name, an associated email address, etc., but beyond this, the remaining questions are optional.  You can visit all of the sections of the survey, by selecting [Next], or jump to a specific section from the Contents page.

Below, we've highlighted, in yellow, the areas that we believe are most applicable to Aston Lodge residents, and relate to the Proposed Housing Allocations (PHAs), adjacent to Aston Lodge, i.e. the fields above Oakleigh Court, and below Little Stoke Cricket Club.

Vision and Objectives

This gives you a chance to select the three objectives of the Local Plan that are most important to you.

Development Strategy and Climate Change Response

This section deals with policies 1-6 of the Local Plan, and is asking whether you agree with the following:

• Policy 1 - Development strategy. The building of 10,700 homes (535 new homes per year), and 80 hectares of employment area, between now and 2040.  Stone has been allocated 7% of the housing supply for the borough, this equates to a total of 370 new houses (in addition to the 243 completed to date, and a further 268 that are already committed).
• Policy 2 - Settlement hierarchy. The way the tiers have been allocated.  Stone is currently allocated as Tier 2, Aston Lodge falls within this tier.
• Policy 3 - Development in open countryside - general principles. Development outside the settlement boundary, i.e., the red lines, shown on the ‘Stone (South) Proposed Sites’ map (page 166).
• Policy 4 - Climate change development requirements. This for example, states: ‘no on-site fossil fuel consumption’, i.e., no gas boilers in new homes.
• Policy 5 - Green Belt. Aston Lodge isn't currently protected by any green belt areas.
• Policy 6 - Neighbourhood plans. We already have a neighbourhood plan in place, which covers the playgrounds and green space at Lyndhurst Grove, therefore, these are not shown as Proposed Local Green Spaces (LGS), in the Local Plan.  The only proposed LGS areas shown on the Stone (South) map, are the grass areas on Saxifrage Drive.

Meecebrook Garden Community

This section deals with policies 7 and 8 of the Local Plan, and is asking whether you agree with the following:

• Policy 7 - Meecebrook site allocation. 3,000 new homes to be built within the plan period, with potential future development of a total of at least 6,000.  The main advantage of this policy, is that new infrastructure will be provided, at the same time, including a new secondary school, food store, health care facility, a place of worship and indoor sport provision.  If you agree with this policy, it may reduce the pressure to build more housing on the edge of existing communities, such as Aston Lodge, where no supporting infrastructure is planned (and the existing infrastructure is already stretched).
• Policy 8 - Masterplanning and design at Meecebrook. This details the framework for the development of the Meecebrook Garden Community.

Site Allocation Policies

This section deals with policies 9-15 of the Local Plan (pages 47-59).

Note: Policy 12 details the proposed developments in Stone, including PHAs - STO13 and STO16, which are both adjacent to Aston Lodge.

Economy Policies

This section deals with policies 16-22 of the Local Plan (pages 61-71).

Housing Policies

This section deals with policies 23-33 of the Local Plan (pages 73-89).

Note: The questions in this section, include ‘affordable housing’.  You may recall that recent planning applications have used the C5A Rural Exception Policy, in an attempt to circumvent planning restrictions, that would normally prevent development of areas of land outside the settlement boundary.  These are not included in the Local Plan (such as the ‘Grassy Patch’, and land on Lichfield Road, adjacent to Watson's scrapyard).

Design and Infrastructure Policies

This section deals with policies 34-40 of the Local Plan (pages 91-99).

Environment Policies

This section deals with policies 41-51 of the Local Plan (pages 101-119).

Note: Policy 42 covers flood risk.  There has been flooding on the estate previously (2004)... a subsequent flood alleviation scheme has reduced the risk for the majority of Aston Lodge, however, any development on STO13 could increase the continuing risk of flooding in some areas.

Connections

This section deals with policies 52 and 53 of the Local Plan (pages 121-124).

Evidence Base

This is not covered in the Preferred Options (18.4MB) document, however, it does provide the basis for the 2020‑2040 Local Plan.  In case you're interested, here's a link to the relevant documents, on Stafford Borough Council's website.

General Comments

This final section provides a further opportunity to make general comments about the Local Plan.