New homes on meadow approved despite objections

Wenny Meadow in Chatteris will become home to 93 new homes after planning permission was granted

Formal approval has been given to plans to build 93 new homes on a meadow, despite more than 500 objections.

Councillors at Fenland District Council agreed nearly two years ago to approve the development at Wenny Meadow, Chatteris, Cambridgeshire, but official permission has only now been given after the agreement of conditions and financial contributions.

The 93 homes are set to include four five-bedroom houses, 25 four-bedroom houses, 40 three-bedroom houses, 20 two-bedroom houses, and four one-bedroom flats.

They are proposed to be part of a wider development to the east of the town of around 350 homes.

In planning documents submitted to the district council, the developer said it would "provide a large amount of public open space incorporating a [play area], ecological benefits including the creation of new habitat, as well as economic benefits including increases in local expenditure and support for jobs both directly and indirectly through the proposed development."

However, the project was met with backlash from people in Chatteris, with 551 formal objections lodged against the plans.

The application was recommended for approval by planning officers, who said: "By providing a new community with accessible open and green space, in a high-quality environment, with easy access to local services, the scheme will make a valuable contribution to improving the overall health of the local community."

When the application was considered by councillors in July 2023, they ultimately agreed to approve the plans, subject to the agreement of conditions and financial contributions.

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, an update report published by the district council in April recognised a "significant amount of time" had passed since that planning committee meeting.

It said amendments to some conditions had been made and financial contributions from the developer towards services in the town had now been agreed.

Officers said they still recommended the plans should be approved and the district council has now agreed to formally grant planning permission for the development.