A major plan for 117 affordable homes at an abandoned school site in Stoke-on-Trent has been approved by the city council. 

The plan for the development at the vacant Brookhouse Green Primary School site off Wellfield Road, Bentillee, was submitted in 2022 and was approved at the council's planning committee on Wednesday morning (30 April).

The development will include 53 supported living apartments for residents who are 55+, with a further 50 apartments, ten houses, and four bungalows. 

Stoke-on-Trent City Council secured £2.2m of government funding from the Brownfield Land Release Fund last year which was set aside for the Bentilee site and the former Olympus Engineering site in Shelton. 

A representative of the developer, Ellanor McCowan, said: "The Wellfield Road project represents a transformative opportunity for Bentilee, delivering affordable housing and sustainable growth. 

A view of the over 55s assisted living building. (Planning application)

"This project will bring lasting benefits to the area and contribute to the ongoing goals of sustainable regeneration."

A total of 14 homes in the development fall below national space standards but as the council doesn't have a 5-year housing supply, applications are approved unless "any adverse impacts of doing so would significantly and demonstrably outweigh the benefits".  

The council officers acknowledged the space standards issue but said that it was not a significant enough concern to recommend refusing the application. 

Cllr Dave Evans said: "This is the largest social housing development this council has built in a very long time, from my understanding, it is absolutely an opportunity to plant our flag in the ground and say we want better - and we're not doing it."

A view of what the housing will look like. (Planning application)

The officer report recommending the development be approved said: " The scheme would deliver 117 much needed affordable units, through the use of public funding, whilst also bringing a disused Council owned site back into use.

"The 100% quantum of affordable provision here is given significant weight. Despite the current status of the site, given the Council's playing pitch mitigation strategy, the loss of the existing sports field can be adequately offset through funded alternative provision.

"Residential amenity levels are judged to be acceptable and living Page 37 conditions for residents would be of a good standard.

"Highway safety concerns have not been identified and the site is not at risk from any other unabated environmental risks such as flooding, contamination or noise.

"However, weighing against the scheme is the lack of any onsite public open space, the lack of an onsite play area, the minor deviation away from the NDSS and the moderate potential impact upon residential amenity to the North West of the site with respect to the sense of overlooking for existing residents.

A view of the over 55s assisted living building. (planning application)

"Owing to the Council's lack of a 5-year housing land supply, as clarified at the beginning of this report, the application must be considered within the context of paragraph 11d of the NPPF.

"As such, this means that the application should be approved unless "any adverse impacts of doing so would significantly and demonstrably outweigh the benefits, when assessed against the policies in this Framework taken as a whole, having particular regard to key policies for directing development to sustainable locations, making effective use of land, securing well-designed places and providing affordable homes, individually or in combination".

"Given the significant weight ascribed to the delivery of 117 affordable homes through public funding (which also attracts substantial weight pursuant to S70(2) of the TCPA Act 1990) and given that the weights against the scheme would not, in the view of officers, demonstrably outweigh the prescribed benefits."

------

READ: Appeal launched to find relatives of Stoke-on-Trent WWII hero John Baskeyfield

Free from clickbait, pop-up ads and unwanted surveys, Stoke Nub News is a quality online newspaper for our city.

Subscribe to our FREE weekly newsletter email HERE - just click the 'SIGN UP' button.

Please consider following Stoke Nub News on Facebook, X or Instagram.