Concerns raised about Stafford Station Gateway plans

A public consultation on the Stafford Station Gateway project closes on Thursday and once responses have been considered the masterplan will be submitted to the borough council for final approval.

A number of Stafford residents have questioned how the proposals will affect existing environmental assets such as the balancing pond at the junction of Kingsway and Martin Drive. And others have raised concerns about the density of development and number and type of new homes proposed.

Neil Thomas, who was involved in the award-winning community effort to improve the pond area for local wildlife, said the overall idea was a sound one but the details needed to be right. He added that the number of homes proposed was far too many.

He said: “The proposals for the Marling Terrace zone show two blocks of apartments being built on the balancing pond zone. These unnecessary proposals are manifestly harmful to the wildlife value and should be deleted.

“The whole of the balancing pond site is owned by Stafford Borough Council. The council’s failure to declare it a local nature reserve is a scandal.”

Netta Cartwright said: “I am not fundamentally against the whole general idea and some parts of the vision set out in the consultation document. However, I am disappointed that the draft plan as it currently stands would be squandering a unique opportunity for Stafford to redevelop the land sustainably around the railway and to the north.

“The implementation of the vision and ideas should be to provide housing, employment, land and recreation space by keeping the current immense value that the land already has for bio-diverse wildlife and potentially even more. The density of building development would have to be significantly reduced.

“The style of the housing illustrated is not suitable for a medium size market town like Stafford with its own character. It is more suited to a built up city.

“The apartment blocks need to be deleted from the scheme, as they will be harmful to the bio-diverse wildlife around the pond/lake. In the current proposals the pond/lake area will become completely isolated and its slender wildlife corridor and links to the wider environment will be lost.”

Castletown and Virginia Park Residents’ Association said: “The balancing pond has developed organically over a long period of time and is a haven for wildlife and nature. It serves the local community as an oasis of calm and relative isolation, which is a rare find today, away from busy roads and is of great benefit to people’s mental well-being.

“The density of the proposed development is overwhelming and dominates not just ground-level but also the skyline. References to ‘green and blue assets’ simply emphasize the fact that it is a business plan with little or no regard for the natural world and the importance of green space to the mental and physical health of residents of secondary importance.

“The old cricket ground should be handed to the community and, under the guidance of Staffordshire Wildlife Trust be allowed to turn into a nature reserve. The former rugby ground area should become an eco-hub/ community garden and promote a self-sustaining neighbourhood.

“There is a risk that the scheme as conceived as a standalone development comprising a mix of residential, employment retail and leisure services will only serve to further undermine a town centre which is clearly demonstrating significant signs of stress. vacancy levels in the town centre are already running at over 30%, with a significant proportion of those vacancies occurring in the area to the north of the town along Gaolgate Street and including the Sheridan Centre.

“In many respects the current Gateway scheme mixing residential, employment, office and retail would be a good fit for the comprehensive redevelopment of this north-end town centre area. We would welcome a greater degree of clarity on what role this gateway proposal is to play in contributing to the regeneration of the existing town centre.”

Stafford Borough Council is bidding for almost £20m from the Government’s Levelling Up Fund towards the ambitious plans. Senior councillors including Staffordshire County Council’s deputy leader Philip White have welcomed the plans to help attract more investment and opportunities to the County Town.

He said: “The Stafford Gateway project is hugely significant in the ongoing regeneration of the town centre, capitalising on the enhanced connectivity at the station that HS2 will bring. New commercial and housing development will make the county town an even better place to live work and visit, in addition to bringing more employment opportunities.

“It will complement the work we have been doing, together with Stafford Borough Council, which include the Stafford Western Access Route, the Shire Hall Business Centre and the Eastgate area regeneration plans. We look forward to seeing the project progress and would urge people to have their say on the masterplan during this consultation period.”

Frances Beatty, Stafford Borough Council’s cabinet member for economic development and planning, said: “Growth and prosperity for our borough is a key priority for the council and we have attracted huge investment to our area working closely with our partners. The financial backing we have received is testament to the confidence that government has in us to deliver major developments such as the Stafford Station Gateway project.

“This underutilised area will see the birth of a new community, with quality homes where people will want to live, alongside a business-friendly environment and leisure facilities, sitting on the doorstep of our station which will be an enormous attraction to potential investors. The Station Gateway scheme is yet another piece in the jigsaw of transforming the heart of Stafford.”