Concerns have been raised over whether residents have genuinely influenced controversial plans to build hundreds of homes on greenfield land.

Cabinet members at Stoke-on-Trent City Council will decide next week whether to press ahead with a masterplan for up to 816 homes in fields next to Packmoor, or leave the site as it is.

The council has settled on these two options following several rounds of consultation and public engagement on local residents over the last 18 months.

But many residents believe the decision has been 'pre-determined' by the council, and that responses to the consultation – which have mostly been opposition to development – have had no real effect.

Council leaders insist that residents' concerns over issues such as greenspace and infrastructure have helped shape the masterplan.

Dave Mountford, ward councillor for Great Chell and Packmoor, brought residents' concerns to the housing, regeneration and operations scrutiny committee, which considered the masterplan ahead of next week's cabinet decision.

He told the committee that residents feel they have not been heard, and that it is 'entirely reasonable' to ask how the masterplan has actually changed as a result of consultation feedback.

Cllr Mounford said: "There are significant unanswered questions relating to consultation, supporting evidence and the decision-making process that deserve proper examination before cabinet makes what could be one of the most significant decisions affecting Great Chell and Packmoor for generations.

"It's not just a case of asking whether consultation took place. It's asking whether consultation genuinely influenced the proposals before cabinet. Consultation is not just a tick-box exercise.

"Residents are asked to give up their time, attend meetings, complete surveys and submit representations and they're entitled to know how that participation shaped the final proposals."

Cllr Mountford also believes there are still questions over whether alternatives have been 'genuinely explored, and whether proposed infrastructure improvements would be sufficient.

Council leaders say new homes at Packmoor would help meet Stoke-on-Trent's need for housing, and that the masterplan approach will ensure that development takes place in a controlled way.

Councillor Finlay Gordon-McCusker, cabinet member for regeneration, told the committee that the masterplan includes various measures aimed at addressing the concerns raised during the consultations.

He said: "Cllr Mountford suggests that people haven't been heard. I've made myself available many times for conversations with residents. We absolutely heard what they said. However, our responsibility is to consider the broader situation, and being heard isn't necessarily the same as being agreed with.

"One of the things we heard is that the people of Packmoor love their green spaces. It's really important that there's open space where they can walk and exercise. So that's exactly what we did. The masterplan is landscape led, and every option means the majority of the site will remain green.

"Critically, it will ensure better access to the green spaces. A lot of the land is not accessible to the public. The masterplan will open up so much more of it."

Cllr Gordon-McCusker also claimed that the masterplan addresses residents' concerns over infrastracture, with proposals to secure £11 million for highway improvements from developers. And the masterplan includes proposals for 'green buffers' keeping Packmoor separated from neighbouring communties.

Committee member Dave Evans suggested that Packmoor's identity as a village would be affected by the addition of more than 800 homes. Cllr Gordon-McCusker argued that new homes would actually protect Packmoor's identity by allowing more local people to 'stay local'.

The committee heard that if cabinet chooses the development option, the council will start the process of appointing a master developer for the scheme, which could take a year.

Detailed plans for the development would then be drawn up and submitted to the council for approval. It is estimated that it could take around four years for any work to get underway.

Cllr Evans proposed recommending the 'do nothing' option to cabinet, saying he 'fundamentally disagrees' with the masterplan.

He said: "I feel the consultation has been about fitting a development into Packmoor rather than listening to Packmoor. I don't think this is the right thing to do, I don't think it's the right place for these houses."

The committee was split on Cllr Evans' motion, but acting chair Lauren Davison used her casting vote to block it. The committee instead voted to submit its comments to cabinet ahead of next week's meeting.