Object

Representation ID: 4840

Received: 22/12/2022

Respondent: David Wilson Homes

Legally compliant? Not specified

Sound? Not specified

Duty to co-operate? Not specified

Site 396 to the west of Featherstone Lane, Featherstone site scores ‘major negative’ for landscape and townscape in the most recent Sustainability Appraisal, despite the Landscape Study (2019) scoring the site’s landscape sensitivity as ‘Low Moderate’.Site 396 should score ‘minor negative’ for landscape and townscape.

The site scores ‘major negative’ for education, however no justification is provided for this. Indeed,
there is no justification for this as the site is within an acceptable walking distance of the Featherstone
Academy Primary School. Site 396 should therefore score ‘minor negative’ for education.

The Council’s evidence base, including the IDP, demonstrates there is currently a lack of highway capacity at Featherstone (particularly in regard to the A460). This capacity issue will be resolved through the delivery of the M54 / M6 / M6 Toll link road, the Development Consent Order.

Site 396’s constraints have been overplayed in the Council’s evidence and given the timing of the
significant infrastructure improvements in the area growth should be directed to Featherstone given
its sustainability. As such, land west of Featherstone should be a proposed allocation in the plan to
accommodate this or, as a minimum, safeguarded. It is accepted that policy proposing to allocate or safeguard land to the west of Featherstone might be subject to a clause that it should not come forward until the link road has been delivered.