13 April 2011
The Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, the Rt Hon Eric Pickles MP, today announced that he was dismissing the application for the construction of 300 homes by CALA Homes in Moreton-in-Marsh.
Cotswold MP, Geoffrey Clifton-Brown held a public meeting in Moreton-in-Marsh on Friday 5 November 2010. The meeting was packed and the passionate comments of those in attendance demonstrated that the vast majority of the local population were against the CALA Homes development, coming so soon after the application to build 300 homes at the Fire College.
Cotswold District Council initially turned down the application by CALA Homes, however, CALA Homes took the matter to appeal. Following lobbying by Mr Clifton-Brown the Secretary of State decided to call in the application.
Mr Clifton-Brown made a submission to the Appeal Inspector and as can be seen from today’s judgement the Appeal Inspector has recommended that the application be refused and the Secretary of State has endorsed this decision.
One of the principle reasons for this was the development would alter detrimentally the character of Moreton-in-Marsh.
Commenting on the decision, Mr Clifton-Brown said: “This is a victory for common sense. The Secretary of State and the Inspector clearly felt that an addition of 600 houses, including the 300 at the Fire College, in an attractive Cotswold market town containing just 1600 houses was excessive and unsustainable.”
“I sincerely hope that CALA Homes, or indeed any other developer, will allow the development at the Fire College to be absorbed into the town before making any further sizeable development applications.”
Cotswold MP, Geoffrey Clifton-Brown held a public meeting in Moreton-in-Marsh on Friday 5 November 2010. The meeting was packed and the passionate comments of those in attendance demonstrated that the vast majority of the local population were against the CALA Homes development, coming so soon after the application to build 300 homes at the Fire College.
Cotswold District Council initially turned down the application by CALA Homes, however, CALA Homes took the matter to appeal. Following lobbying by Mr Clifton-Brown the Secretary of State decided to call in the application.
Mr Clifton-Brown made a submission to the Appeal Inspector and as can be seen from today’s judgement the Appeal Inspector has recommended that the application be refused and the Secretary of State has endorsed this decision.
One of the principle reasons for this was the development would alter detrimentally the character of Moreton-in-Marsh.
Commenting on the decision, Mr Clifton-Brown said: “This is a victory for common sense. The Secretary of State and the Inspector clearly felt that an addition of 600 houses, including the 300 at the Fire College, in an attractive Cotswold market town containing just 1600 houses was excessive and unsustainable.”
“I sincerely hope that CALA Homes, or indeed any other developer, will allow the development at the Fire College to be absorbed into the town before making any further sizeable development applications.”
