STOP the North SDL (Strategic Development Location) and MOD4 Developments in Stafford Borough.    PLANNING REFERENCE: 16/25450/OUT

 

Bloor Homes are planning to build 2000 homes on land which historically had protected Stafford and the surrounding areas from severe flooding 

The associated flood plans rely on the Eastern Distributor Road (EDR) and HS2 to support drainage – Both projects have now been cancelled 

The current flood plan is insufficient and risks increasing the flood risk level of neighbouring areas.

Houses on the development and drainage will be managed by a private sector company (via Fake Freehold) – Stafford Borough Council gobble up council tax and development generated bonuses (s106) and walk away from any responsibility. 

WHO IS ACCOUNTABLE WHEN FLOOD MITIGATION FAILS? 

The land is agricultural – this feeds the country – why are Stafford Borough Developing here? 

We are calling for: 

• An immediate full stop to the North SDL Bloor development off Sandon Road 
• An immediate full stop to MOD4 development. 
• A NEW fully independent flooding and hydrology review, not paid for by the developers. 
• Recognition of the historic land evidence that has been ignored. 
• Transparency over who is adopting what and why. 
• A proper investigation into the fake freehold (AKA Fleecehold) mess. 
• Real support from local government to adopt public land so residents are not left paying twice. 
• A full review into how the North SDL was planned and the planning process that pushed its approval through. 
• Answers from Homes England on how public money and Government backed schemes have pushed people into this unregulated trap. 
• Accountability now the basis of approval for Bloor and MOD4 has fallen apart.
• This is not about saying no to homes. 

It is about protecting people, protecting Hopton and Coton, protecting Penkridge and the Haywoods, the local low-lying areas and protecting central Stafford. 

As a community, we need to protect the land we rely on.

The land that Bloor (and MOD4) just off Sandon Road is planned for, is heavy loam clay farmland. It is slow draining, helping to slow the flow of rain and run off water to prevent the brooks and rivers which lead to the lowest parts of Stafford being overwhelmed with water. 

Local people have known this for generations and as a result have left this land untouched for centuries to prevent flooding. 

This was also recognised by Stafford Borough and County Councils in the 1990s. 

The proposals to build over 2000 houses on this land puts Stafford, Hopton and Coton and the surrounding areas at serious risk of severe flooding. 

The centre of Stafford sits in a natural bowl. The land proposed for building (north and east SDLs) sits uphill. 

Building thousands of houses uphill on clay waterlogged farmland accelerates the rate at which water will flow into Stafford via the brooks and rivers. 

The developers plan to manage this water flow with SuDS (Sustainable drainage systems), basins and Storage tanks. This flood plan is insufficient 

Currently, Stafford Borough Council will not adopt this critical infrastructure. It will be privately owned and it's function will be paid for solely by the residents of the development. 

A part of Bloor’s planning and flood risk assessment was reliant on HS2 infrastructure to help deal with the wider water storage issues.

HS2 has since been cancelled. Yet the planning and assessments are still in place and have not been reviewed. 

SuDs alone cannot replace the water-holding function of the land. 

They are limited, and a development this size would depend on constant maintenance to mitigate the impact, and the long-term risk will be dumped on homeowners and Stafford. For example, a similar issue has happened already with privately managed estate, Sancerre Grange in Eccleshall, where Stafford County Council had to intervene with a £250,000 flood plan to mitigate the SuDs on the development.

The planning was further justified as the Eastern Distributor Road (EDR) was planned to go through the area. It was deemed that the benefit outweighed the risk. 

The EDR has also since been cancelled. Again, planning has not been reviewed in light of this. 

With or without HS2, even with full re-planning, a development of this size on this land would need massive publicly owned and managed infrastructure and water storage. 

We are already seeing the effects of irresponsible development with flooding in the area. 

Where is the help for Sandon Road and the town area?

Hopton village, Beacon Hill area, Weston Road, Blackheath area, Tixall Road, Kingston Hill and the wider Beaconside communities will feel the impact first before the water reaches the centre of Stafford.

This will affect every household, every street, every business and every community space in this part of Stafford. 

This is not just about land and flooding. Roads, traffic, access to schools’ healthcare, businesses and basic movement across the area will be disrupted in the long term. 

The whole planning basis has collapsed.

HS2 Phase 2 is gone. 

The Eastern Distributor Road is gone. 

They were the main justifications for developing on this land. They are gone. 

Our community and wider communities should not be sacrificed for a planning strategy that no longer exists. 

“No resident should be left worrying every time it rains heavily…”

If the Borough and County Councils will not stand up for us, then we must stand up for ourselves. 

Agricultural land must be protected. It feeds the country and protects Stafford Borough. It is not empty land waiting for concrete.

Over development such as this is a symptom of a bigger issue:

The Fake Freehold AKA Fleecehold. 

Residents in homes built after 2010 are paying council tax in addition to uncapped, unregulated private estate fees for land and amenities the public use and rely upon. 

These are not gated communities. They are ordinary housing estates.

Yet residents are being charged twice for basic services like grass cutting, lighting, play areas, paths and drainage maintenance. 

These areas are mandated by the government in the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) to benefit the wider community, yet only new residents are expected to pay for them. This is divisive and is not sustainable.  It contradicts the NPPF.

The Bloor and MOD4 estates are examples of fake freeholds (AKA Fleeceholds) 

Stafford Borough Council has the power to approve or reject these development applications. 

They decide the terms.

They can refuse developments based on private management. Instead, they encourage it and use it as a default position. 

Stafford Borough Council and Staffordshire County Council want the developments to fund growth, investment and increase council tax revenue, but then they refuse to adopt the public infrastructure they insisted on. 

The long term burden is dumped on the new residents and tied into their freehold deeds, while the councils walk away.

As flooding worsens due to irresponsible privately managed developments, affected areas will need more maintenance and repairs. 

Will council tax rise again to fund this because these irresponsible developments were agreed in the first place?

Under the fake freehold model that Bloor Homes and MOD4 will follow, developers hand the entire estate to private sector management companies who charge yearly maintenance fees.

Those companies carry the long-term bill and liability.

They will also manage the insufficient drainage /SuDs. 

What happens when this drainage system fails and serious flooding occurs? 

Residents will likely be charged thousands of pounds each to fix it. They will not be protected from the failings due to poor planning and irresponsible council approval. 

What happens to everywhere else? Who will foot the bill of severe flooding, and potentially increased insurance premiums? 

Maintenance deed restrictions on freehold homes is unfair, uncapped and unregulated. 

It is one of the biggest housing scandals in the country. 

Homes England used government backed schemes and public money to push people onto estates like these two. All while councils refused to adopt the public areas they required in the planning. 

All Residents deserve honesty, safety and respect. Using the land in this way is wrong.

The risks are real and the perceived benefits have gone.

Please sign this petition to protect Hopton and Coton, Stafford Borough and the wider community from long term harm.