Plans for 77 council homes in Stoke set for green light

Multi-million pound plans for 77 council homes on brownfield land are set to receive the green light.
Stoke-on-Trent City Council wants to build 57 flats and 20 houses for its housing revenue account on the cleared site in Booth Street, Stoke.
The £15 million scheme is due to be approved by members of the planning committee when they meet on Wednesday. According to the planning officer's report, the principle of development on the site is 'acceptable', with no significant adverse impacts identified.
The council currently has around 17,000 homes but there is a growing need for more social housing in the city, with families facing longer waits to get a property. Latest figures show that there are 3,138 people on the city council's housing waiting list, following a 41 per cent increase over the last year.
The report states: "The principle of the proposed development here can be supported from both a national and local planning policy perspective. The scheme would deliver 77 much needed affordable units, whilst also bringing a disused council-owned brownfield site back into use.
"The 100 per cent quantum of affordable provision here is given significant weight. Residential amenity levels are judged to be acceptable and living 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."
The homes would be a mix of one, two and three bedroom properties, with the apartments spread across four separate blocks. All the the homes would meet national space standards.
Each of the houses would have one or two parking spaces, while the 57 flats would have 42 spaces between them.
Planning officers note that the scheme includes only 'minimal' on-site public open space, which they say counts against the application. They have also raised concerns over the buildings' 'prevailing blank elevations'.
But as the city council cannot currently demonstrate a five-year supply of housing land, neither of these issues is considered significant enough to justify refusal.
Officers are recommending that the council makes a financial contribution of £52,898 towards local healthcare, £17,324 towards sports facilities and £40,000 towards an upgrade of Yeaman Street Park.
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