Green light for up to nine homes could unlock 100 more, councillors warn

A decision made at the recent Development Control Committee meeting has sparked concern, after land off Cemetery Road/The Heath in Dinting was approved for housing development “in principle”. 

The application related to outline planning permission for between one and nine homes on land in Dinting, on the edge of Glossop. While the application was for a small number of properties, councillors were aware that the developer, Barratt Homes, has submitted two further applications for the same stretch of land - one for seven homes and another for 85 homes - 101 in total.  

Cllr Dom Starkey, ward councillor for Dinting, and also the current Mayor of High Peak although not operating in that capacity at the meeting, raised concerns that considering the smallest application separately from the larger proposals risked creating an unbalanced decision. He argued that if all three applications had been heard together, councillors would have been better placed to understand the true scale of the development being proposed.  

This was the first time the committee had been presented with an outline application of this type, which led to uncertainty among members about the wider implications of approving it. Councillors were advised that agreeing the principle of development on the site could make it significantly harder to resist the later applications for seven and 85 homes, particularly if any future refusal went to appeal.  

One councillor directly asked whether approving the smaller scheme would make it easier for the Planning Inspectorate to approve the larger developments. Planning officers acknowledged that this was the case.  

Cllr Starkey told the meeting that approving the smaller application in isolation effectively set a precedent for the entire site. He said:  

“No further building should be carried out until the system and infrastructure of the area is improved. At the moment the area is crippled - we have no dentists, no more capacity for doctors, limited school places, and the roads are already struggling with traffic and disrepair. All of this needs sorting before any more development is considered.”  

He also warned about the impact on the identity of surrounding communities: “Building along this strip of land would merge the small village of Dinting with Hadfield, Padfield and the wider Glossop area. Each place would lose its individual identity and character and become one joined-up area.”  

Cllr Starkey added: “If you say yes to this one to nine dwellings application, you are effectively giving the nod to the full 101 houses. Once you’ve given the green light, you won’t have a leg to stand on when the rest come forward.”  

Push to Defer or Reject  

Cllr Starkey had already requested that the decision be taken by the planning committee rather than by planning officers, arguing that the significance of the site and the linked applications warranted full scrutiny by elected members. He also asked for the three applications to be considered together but was told this was not possible as the two larger applications were not yet ready for determination.  

At the meeting, Cllr Adie Hopkinson, a member of the planning committee, initially proposed deferring the decision so councillors could give further consideration to the wider implications. However, he was advised that concerns around access and detailed layout could not be taken into account at this stage, as the committee was only being asked to decide whether the land itself was suitable for development in principle.  

There was also unease among councillors about deferring the application due to a previous item on the agenda that had already been deferred. Legal advice was also given that rejecting the application could lead to an appeal and potential avoidable costs for the council.  

Cllr Starkey criticised what he felt was pressure from both the legal advice and officers to approve the application, saying the role of officers and legal advisers should be to advise councillors, not to push decisions in a particular direction. He said: “We need to put our current residents first, not worry about pleasing future taxpayers.”   

Vote Goes Through  

Despite the concerns raised, the committee voted to approve the application in principle, confirming that the land was suitable for development. Following the meeting, Cllr Starkey described the decision as:  

“Shocking and baffling, to say the least. Now the land has been deemed appropriate to be built on, the way has been paved for around 100 homes to be built there. We do not need any more houses until we sort out the infrastructure first.”  

He added that Dinting had already taken more than its fair share of new housing and said that if development must take place, other wards should now be considered instead.  

There were also questions as to whether the prospect of developer contributions through Section 106 agreements had influenced the decision. Section 106 money is a financial contribution paid by property developers to local councils as part of planning agreements. The payments are made under Section 106 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 and are designed to help offset the impact of new developments on local infrastructure and services. 

Further applications for the larger schemes on the same site are now expected to come before the committee at future meetings.  

Following the meeting Cllr Adie Hopkinson published the following statement on his Facebook page:  

“This months’ Development Control Committee was held today. I am a member of the committee and one of the items on the agenda was an application for outline planning permission for between 1 and 9 properties on Cemetery Road/The Heath, Glossop.  

I am aware there are intended to be a couple of other larger applications due to be heard by the committee for the same location at future meetings.  

This was the first time the committee had been presented an outline application of this type, and it caused much concern and uncertainty amongst members of the committee.  

I raised concerns about the application being submitted separately to the larger applications. My feeling was that if all were heard at the same meeting, a balanced decision could have taken place.  

Ward Councillor Dom Starkey also addressed the committee with similar concerns.  

The committee approved the application. All 3 Conservative colleagues voted against it.”