Confusion emerges as developer appeals over land with existing planning permission

A council has said it would have given planning permission for an alternate housing scheme on a site already approved for homes if the developer had not taken it to appeal. Hallam Land Management submitted two different applications to Charnwood Borough Council (CBC) for the same piece of land in Melton Road, Queniborough, on the same day in 2023.

The council’s plans committee gave permission for Hallam Land Management's 160-home application earlier this year, but the plan for up to 100 homes on the same site in a separate application is yet to have a final decision. A report prepared for CBC has revealed the applicant wants to wait until planning permission is granted for both schemes before it decides which one it will proceed with.

An appeal on the 100-home scheme was lodged by Hallam Land Management in August after they claimed CBC had failed to make a decision within the recommended timescale. But at a meeting of the planning committee last week, one councillor expressed confusion over the developer’s actions.

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Councillor Geoff Lawrence said he had “tried hard to understand” why a company, which already had permission to build 160 homes on a piece of land, would then appeal against the council in a bid to build fewer homes in the same spot. Planning officer Victoria Stone said she had asked for clarification as to the motivation behind the appeal and was told it was connected to a Leicestershire County Council request for financial contributions towards local highway infrastructure improvements.

While subsequent developments mean the 160 homes scheme would no longer be subject to that financial contribution, Ms Stone said she was told, “Hallam Land Management will maintain their appeal and will do so until it becomes unnecessary to do so". A planning report prepared for members says “officers have worked proactively with the agent”, and that an agreement was made with the company not to have the application heard at an earlier plans committee in order to prioritise the 160-home application scheme.

A 170-name petition has been submitted to planning inspectors by residents who object to the new homes. At the meeting, councillors took a vote to say whether they would have given approval to the 100-home scheme had it not been taken to appeal, with members voting 11 to one in favour. The appeal will be heard in March next year.

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