Plans for 7,000 homes in borough over 20 years

Council leader Simon Tagg said people would see the maps and sites for the local plan in the next consultation

Seven thousand new homes will be built in part of Staffordshire over the next 20 years, a council confirmed.

 

The local plan for Newcastle-under-Lyme will mean about 350 new homes needing to be built annually until 2040, the borough council said.

 

Two consultations are planned to refine the proposals, the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) said.

 

"It's a realistic target, it's a responsible target," councillor Andrew Fear said.

 

"We want growth because we want jobs and opportunity in the borough.”

 

Local plans are a legal requirement from the government for councils to set out where developments, such as housing or factories, should be built.

 

Exact dates for the consultations have not been set but councillors agreed they would last eight weeks.

The 7,000 new homes would be built over 20 years under the plan

Once the second consultation is finished, a final draft will be produced for the public to examine in early 2024, the LDRS said.

 

The finalised plan will then be submitted for government approval in mid-2024, have a final public consultation and then be adopted by December 2024, the council said.

 

Leader Simon Tagg said the current set of plans balanced the need to have growth with a desire to protect green spaces.

 

“The next consultation is the important one. It’s the one where people can actually see the maps and the plans and the sites," he added.