‘Secret plans’ to build a car park and toilet block as part of a housing development in countryside of historical and cultural significance could be the ‘final nail in the coffin for local heritage,’ reports The Comet.
image for illustration: St Nicholas Church by By AnemoneProjectors – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0
… permission is being sought by developers….to build a 50-space car park and toilet block…
The Comet writes:
Planning permission to build 800 homes and a primary school in Forster Country – land between North Road and Weston Road in Stevenage – has already been granted by Stevenage Borough Council.
Forster Country lies within the St Nicholas Conservation Area and includes author EM Forster’s childhood home Rooks Nest House, Grade I-listed St Nicholas Church and Grade II-listed The Bury.
Now, permission is being sought by developers Bellway Homes and Miller Homes to build a 50-space car park and toilet block as part of plans for a country park on the development.
Hundreds of people had objected to the proposed housing development, with concerns including urban coalescence, loss of heritage, and the development being unsustainable….
John Spiers, the campaign group’s chairman, said: “You wouldn’t find a council building a car park on the West Yorkshire moors of Wuthering Heights or the Dorset vales of Tess of the D’Urbervilles. We are pained and baffled….”
Emma Thompson…. is supporting the Friends of Forster Country’s campaign. She said”….It has to be re-thought.”
A spokesperson for the council said: “Far from there being a ‘secret plan’ for a new, exciting country park in the north of Stevenage, there will be open consultation so that all local people can have their say…”
