Protect Quarry Farm campaigner accuses Rutland County Council of making a mockery of local democracy after Stamford site given local plan approval

A campaigner opposing a 650-home development has accused a council of making a mockery of local democracy.

Locations in Oakham, Uppingham, Edith Weston, Ryhall, Empingham and Stamford were approved by Rutland County Council on Tuesday last week (August 13) as possible development sites where more than 1,000 new homes could be built during the next 16 years.

At the meeting plans for 140 homes in Brooke Road, Oakham were cut because they received 277 objections, with the council leader Gale Waller (Lib Dem) stressing the importance of listening to residents’ concerns.

None of the other six sites, including Stamford’s Quarry Farm which received 165 objections, were debated or mentioned by name, and they were all unanimously approved.

Carys Vaughan from the Protect Quarry Farm group said: “I am completely appalled and extremely frustrated.

“There was a fair bit of time spent by the leader of the council talking about the importance of local consent and for residents to have their say.”

There has been an ongoing campaign against the Quarry Farm development which makes up part of the 1,300 home Monarch Park estate.

Despite being on the county border and classed as Stamford, which is in Lincolnshire, it would make up more than half of Rutland County Council’s housing allocation.

Carys said: “Unless the cabinet is living in an echo chamber of its own making, how can they not apply the same logic regarding local consent to Quarry Farm?

“A significant number of people objected to Quarry Farm on the local plan with far more people objecting directly to the application itself, over 850, and we have engaged in a long-standing campaign which has included legal challenges and even a book.

“If that isn’t enough to warrant even a discussion on the issue then there is something seriously wrong with the democratic process at Rutland County Council.

“The question has to be asked: Is Rutland County Council capable of making an objective decision around Quarry Farm given all the recent double standards? The truth is the development solves a lot of issues for Rutland and is temptingly convenient.”

According to a council spokesperson, details of Stamford North were included in a report which was given to councillors and a working group considered all of the sites in previous meetings.

In the report councillors were advised that if they weren’t to support the buffer of extra houses, the most appropriate alternative option would be not to allocate one of the two sites in Oakham.

What do you think? Let us know in the comments.