The County Planning Committee met to discuss two planning applications. Councillors approved the application for 137 homes in Wheatley Hill, and approved the application for 79 homes in Pelton.

Wheatley Hill Planning Application

Councillors approved the planning application for the erection of 137 dwellings and associated infrastructure on land to the north west of 17 Quilstyle Road, Wheatley Hill subject to conditions and a Section 106 agreement¹. The application had been deferred from a previous meeting to gather more information on how a contribution to secondary education would be spent. Senior Planning Officer Callum Harvey told the committee that officers had liaised with the governors of Wellfield School, who confirmed that there were capacity concerns as a result of the proposal, and that finance was required to enable expansion works at the school. The contribution from this development would pay toward the majority of that cost, with the remaining amount funded via the Academy Trust's School's Capital Allocation.

Councillor John Bellingham raised concerns about the impact of the development on the highway, and asked what could be done if it became a problem. Planning Manager Stephen Reid responded that the amount of increased traffic arising from the scheme would not be sufficient to justify any improvements on the junction, but that highways officers were aware of the issues there, and it would be part of any future work done as part of the local transport plan.

Councillor Mark Wilkes voted against the application, stating that he would not support an application which is in breach of the council's supplementary parking planning document.

The committee approved the application with ten votes in support and one against.

Financial Contributions

The Section 106 agreement for the Wheatley Hill development includes the following financial contributions:

• £176,770 towards increasing nursery/early years capacity
• £437,616 towards increasing capacity at Wellfield School
• £117,572 towards increasing capacity at special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) schools across the county
• £66,171 contribution toward increasing NHS GP surgery capacity
• £202,842.20 contribution toward improving public open spaces
• Biodiversity Net Gain monitoring fee of £2,485

Planning Conditions

The planning conditions for the Wheatley Hill development include:

• The development must be begun before the expiration of three years from the date of the permission.
• The development must be carried out in accordance with the approved plans and documents.
• The development must be carried out in accordance with the programme of archaeological works detailed within the Written Scheme of Investigation for an Archaeological Strip and Record.
• The development shall not be occupied until the post investigation assessment has been completed in accordance with the approved Written Scheme of Investigation.
• The development must be carried out in accordance with the approved Dust Management Plan.
• The development must be carried out in accordance with the approved Construction Management Plan.
• No development including ground clearance or remediation works shall commence until a build programme and timetable for the construction of the critical surface water infrastructure has been submitted to and approved in writing by the Local Planning Authority.
• The development must be carried out in accordance with the tree protection measures set out within the Arboricultural Survey, Arboricultural Impact Assessment, Arboricultural Method Statement.
• The Biodiversity Gain Plan shall be prepared in accordance with the Biodiversity Net Gain Assessment.
• No development shall commence until a Habitat Management and Monitoring Plan (HMMP) has been prepared in accordance with the approved Biodiversity Gain Plan and has been submitted to, and approved in writing by, the Local Planning Authority.
• Notice in writing shall be given to the Local Planning Authority when the HMMP has been implemented, and habitat creation and enhancement works have been completed.
• The development shall not be occupied or brought into use until the habitat creation and enhancement works set out in the approved HMMP have been completed, and a completion report has been submitted to, and approved in writing by, the Local Planning Authority.
• The created and/or enhanced habitat(s) specified in the approved HMMP shall be managed and maintained in accordance with the approved HMMP.
• The development shall be carried out in accordance with the approved bat and bird box location plan.
• Prior to the construction of the first dwelling, details of a traffic management scheme at the B1289/Quilstyle Road/Woodlands Avenue junction shall be submitted to and approved in writing by the Local Planning Authority.
• Prior to the construction of the first dwelling, full engineering, drainage, street lighting, and constructional details for streets to be adopted by the local highway authority shall be submitted to and approved by the Local Planning Authority.
• No dwelling shall be occupied until the refuse storage provision for that dwelling has been provided and made available for use.
• No dwelling shall be occupied until the cycle parking provision for that dwelling has been provided and made available for use.
• No dwelling shall be occupied until the Electric Vehicle Charging Point for that dwelling has been installed and made available for use.
• No dwelling shall be occupied until the car parking area for that dwelling has been hard surfaced, sealed and marked out as parking bays in accordance with the approved plans.
• Prior to the occupation of the first dwelling, a timetable for all planting, seeding or turfing, and habitat creation in the approved details of the landscaping scheme shall be submitted to and approved in writing by the Local Planning Authority.
• Prior to the occupation of the first dwelling, precise details of the play area to be located within the site shall be submitted to and approved in writing by the Local Planning Authority.
• In the event of proposals to maintain the play area by means other than through transfer to the Local Authority, prior to the occupation of the first dwelling, details of the alternative maintenance scheme shall be submitted to and approved in by the Local Planning Authority.
• In the event of proposals to maintain the amenity/natural green space within the site by means other than through transfer to the Local Authority, prior to the occupation of the first dwelling, details of the alternative maintenance scheme shall be submitted to and approved in by the Local Planning Authority.
• Remediation works shall be carried out in accordance with the approved remediation strategy.
• Prior to the occupation of Plot 33, the approved footpath link up to the northeastern boundary shall be constructed and made available for use.
• Prior to the occupation of Plots 108 through to 116 inclusive, the approved footpath link at the western site boundary to the west of Plot 111 shall be constructed and made available for use.
• Prior to the occupation of Plots 96 through to 102 inclusive, the approved footpath link at the western site boundary to the north of Plot 99 shall be constructed and made available for use.
• Prior to the construction of the substation, full details of its design, appearance and scale shall be submitted to and agreed in writing by the Local Planning Authority.
• Prior to the construction of the first dwelling, details of the means of broadband connection to the site shall be submitted to and agreed in writing by the Local Planning Authority.
• No external construction works, works of demolition, deliveries, external running of plant and equipment shall take place other than between the hours of 0800 to 1800 on Monday to Friday and 0800 to 1400 on Saturday.
• Before the dwelling(s) hereby approved are occupied those with garage(s) and hardstanding(s)/drive(s) shall be constructed and made available for use.
• All dwellings hereby approved shall include 66% of properties built to a standard which meets the requirements set out in M4(2) of the Building Regulations 2010 Approved Document Part M: Access to and use of building (as amended) or any updated version of replacement document, and 10% of properties designed for older persons.

Pelton Planning Application

Councillors approved the planning application for the erection of 79 residential dwellings with associated access, landscaping and infrastructure on land north and east of Pelton House Farm Estate, Station Lane.

Senior Planning Officer Louisa Ollivere told the committee that since the report was published, there had been revised drainage plans and a revised landscape plan. She also noted that there had been a further five objections from local residents, mostly raising the same issues as covered in the report, but also raising concerns about preparatory works and advertising relating to the development having started, which she advised against.

Councillor Danny Wood from Pelton Parish Council objected to the application, stating that the developer had not listened to residents, and that the application had been cooked away in county hall by a group of people who don't know or understand the community. He raised concerns about coalescence² between Pelton and Pelton Fell, and about highway safety on Station Lane. Geoff Rose, a local resident, shared concerns about the inadequacy of Station Lane to handle increased traffic, the impact on existing infrastructure, the risk to vulnerable road users, and the limited visibility for drivers exiting Station Lane.

Dominic Woff, a planning consultant speaking on behalf of the applicant, endorsed the committee report prepared by the planning officers, and stated that the scheme would provide 79 new family homes comprising a wide mix of two to four bedroom properties, both marked and affordable homes, including 12 affordable properties and nine bungalows.

Councillor Wilkes said he was disappointed that there was nobody from highways present at the meeting, given the 19 different points of highway safety raised in the objections.

Councillor Alan Bell said that the big issue that doesn't change is the coalescence, and that he would not be supporting the application.

Councillor Wilkes said he felt strongly about the highway safety issue, and that he was not willing to support the application on the grounds of highway safety.

Councillor Scott Woodhouse said that most of the complaints were about the way people drive, and that we cannot control that side of things. He said that he would like to go with the officer recommendation to approve the settlement.

The committee approved the application with seven votes in favour and three against.

Financial Contributions

The Section 106 agreement for the Pelton development includes the following financial contributions:

• £357,572 towards education
• £38,157 towards the NHS
• £124,354 towards public open space
• £2,812 towards BNG monitoring

Planning Conditions

The planning conditions for the Pelton development include:

• The development must be begun before the expiration of three years from the date of the permission.
• The development must be carried out in accordance with the approved plans and documents.
• No development including ground clearance or remediation works shall commence until a build programme and timetable for the construction of the critical surface water infrastructure has been submitted to and approved in writing by the Local Planning Authority.
• No development other than ground clearance of remediation works shall commence until a detailed scheme for the disposal of foul water from the development hereby approved has been submitted to and approved in writing by the Local Planning Authority.
• The effect of paragraph 13 of Schedule 7A to the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 is that planning permission granted for the development of land in England is deemed to have been granted subject to the condition (the biodiversity gain condition ) that development may not begin unless a Biodiversity Gain Plan has been submitted to the planning authority, and the planning authority has approved the plan.
• No development shall commence until a Habitat Management and Monitoring Plan (HMMP) has been prepared in accordance with the approved Biodiversity Gain Plan and has been submitted to, and approved in writing by, the Local Planning Authority.
• Notice in writing shall be given to the Local Planning Authority when the HMMP has been implemented, and habitat creation and enhancement works have been completed.
• The development shall not be occupied or brought into use until a phase plan for the delivery of habitat creation and enhancement works has been submitted and approved in writing by the Local Planning Authority.
• The created and/or enhanced habitat(s) specified in the approved HMMP shall be managed and maintained in accordance with the approved HMMP.
• The proposed development shall be carried out in accordance with ecological mitigation contained in the Ecological Impact Assessment 16/09/25
• Remediation works shall be carried out in accordance with the approved remediation strategy.
• Prior to the construction of the first dwelling, full engineering, drainage, street lighting, and constructional details for streets to be adopted by the local highway authority shall be submitted to and approved by the Local Planning Authority.
• No dwelling shall be occupied until the refuse storage provision for that dwelling has been provided and made available for use.
• No dwelling without a garage shall be occupied until floor plan and elevation details of the shed to be installed have submitted to and approved in writing by the Local Planning Authority and installed in accordance with the approved details.
• No dwelling shall be occupied until the Electric Vehicle Charging Point for that dwelling has been installed and made available for use.
• No dwelling shall be occupied until the car parking area for that dwelling has been hard surfaced, sealed and marked out as parking bays in accordance with the approved plans.
• No site clearance, preparatory work, or development shall take place, nor any site cabins, materials or machinery brought on site, until a scheme for the protection of the trees and hedges to be retained on site has been submitted to and approved in writing by the Local Planning Authority.
• Prior to the occupation of the first dwelling, a timetable for all planting, seeding or turfing, and habitat creation in the approved details of the landscaping scheme shall be submitted to and approved in writing by the Local Planning Authority.
• In the event of proposals to maintain the amenity/natural green space within the site by means other than through transfer to the Local Authority, prior to the occupation of the first dwelling, details of the alternative maintenance scheme shall be submitted to and approved in by the Local Planning Authority.
• Prior to the occupation of the first dwelling on site, a timetable for the delivery of the footpath connection to the Wynd shall be submitted to and agreed in writing by the Local Planning Authority.
• Prior to the occupation of the first dwelling, details of the means of broadband connection to the site shall be submitted to and agreed in writing by the Local Planning Authority.
• The approved Construction Management Plan v2 July 2025 shall be adhered to throughout the construction period of the development and the approved measures shall be retained for the duration of the construction works.
• No external construction works, works of demolition, deliveries, external running of plant and equipment shall take place other than between the hours of 0800 to 1800 on Monday to Friday and 0800 to 1400 on Saturday.
• Before the dwelling(s) hereby approved are occupied those with garage(s) and hardstanding(s)/drive(s) shall be constructed and made available for use.
• All dwellings hereby approved shall include 66% of properties built to a standard which meets the requirements set out in M4(2) of the Building Regulations 2010 Approved Document Part M: Access to and use of building (as amended) or any updated version of replacement document, and 10% of properties designed for older persons.
• Notwithstanding the elevation plans hereby approved all roofs for the dwellings shall be grey in colour in accordance with the Elevational Roof Colour Treatment Plan 21/08/25.