Object

Representation ID: 824

Received: 13/12/2021

Respondent: Staffordshire Wildlife Trust

The current policy approach is infrastructure lead, focussing new development in settlements with more ‘hard’ infrastructure and facilities. This does not consider environmental limits, such as landscape boundaries, flooding, water scarcity, best and most versatile agricultural soils, ecological sensitivity or other factors relevant to the capacity of the environment to cope with increased development.

Thought should be given to the sustainability of smaller settlements in terms of the ‘critical mass’ of residents required to sustain shops and services, and the potential opportunities for carefully designed development to improve facilities in rural areas, rather than overloading already large villages and towns.