Glinton residents pack meeting to dispute developments in Peterborough City Council’s draft local plan

Hundreds of Glinton residents packed into a public meeting this week to express their concerns over Peterborough City Council’s Draft Local Plan.

With Glinton allocated 355 new homes in the draft plan, which is still in the consultation and development stages, residents are fighting back in fear that the proposed developments would overwhelm local infrastructure and change the character of the village.

The potential for hundreds more homes in addition to the ones in the draft plan have also been identified, which Glinton Parish Council claims could increase the village population by 162 per cent overall.

Parish council chairman Gerry Kirk confirmed that more than 300 residents attended the public meeting at Arthur Mellows Village College on Monday (October 20).

“One of the things that came through very clearly at the meeting was that we’re not a Nimby village,” he told the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

“We do want development, but controlled development where we really want it and not where we are being dictated to. Our views have just been totally ignored.”

Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority mayor Paul Bristow could not attend the meeting but said he was “100 per cent” behind the Glinton residents and parish councillors.

He said: “Glinton is a village – and needs to remain a village. I want to see more homes for young people and families.

“But that cannot be at the expense of rural communities. It’s not fair that a place like Glinton that has already seen lots of development ends up having to take even more when there are plenty of options elsewhere.”

Mr Bristow claimed that Peterborough City Council’s finalised Local Plan would have to complement a “wider Spacial Development Strategy” that he is working on which comes with planning powers similar to those used by the Mayor of London.

“I am fully prepared to use these to protect against inappropriate developments,” he added.

“We are putting this Spacial Development Strategy together now for publication next year. In it I shall make sure rural Peterborough is protected and villages like Glinton treated fairly. This number of homes is not fair on Glinton and I oppose them.”

North West Cambridgeshire MP Sam Carling (Labour) also could not attend the meeting but said he had been in touch with local councillors and understood residents’ concerns.

He said: “I don’t have powers over the planning process, as those decisions are for councillors on Peterborough City Council, but I am in regular contact with the city council and I always try to raise residents’ concerns and make sure you get fair answers to questions and comments.

“All development needs to be appropriate for the character of an area, as well as an appropriate scale, and needs to come with appropriate infrastructure. Too often that doesn’t happen. I have been in touch with the parish council to offer to come and meet them at another time to talk in more detail.”

A Peterborough City Council spokesperson said the authority “understands the strength of feeling” in Glinton regarding developments recently approved and proposed in the village.

There are a number of developments in the village which were initially refused by the council, but are now under appeal.

A council spokesperson added: “Three planning applications for developments around Glinton (Larkfleet Homes – up to 95 dwellings, Gladman – up to 250 dwellings and Hereward Homes – 24 dwellings) were refused by PCC under delegated powers earlier this year, as they were outside the defined village envelope and therefore contrary to the Local and Neighbourhood plans.

“At the time of determination, the council was able to demonstrate a five year land supply and therefore the spatial policies in the Local and Neighbourhood Plan carried full weight.

“However, due to recent changes in the way the government requires housing year land supply to be calculated, unfortunately the council is currently unable to demonstrate a five year supply of deliverable sites, meaning that sites outside of the defined village envelope (which would normally be contrary to the Local and neighbourhood Plan) are vulnerable to speculative development and are deemed acceptable under national planning policy unless the benefits are significantly and demonstrably outweighed by the harm

“In these circumstances, the council has made the difficult decision not to defend the Larkfleet and Gladman appeals following strong counsel advice that there was very little or no chance of success and a strong possibility of incurring costs.

“The council will still defend the Hereward Homes appeal as there are a number of other reasons for refusal which still stand.”

The Larkfleet application was recently allowed on appeal following a public inquiry.

The remaining two refused developments (Gladman and Hereward Homes) are currently under appeal, with Hereward Homes due to be determined following an informal hearing on November 19 and Gladman due to be determined following a public inquiry from November 25 to 28.

Members of the public can attend or make representations to the Planning Inspectorate on these appeals.

The final version of Peterborough City Council’s Draft Local Plan will shape how the city and surrounding villages grow over the next 20 years. It includes a target of 20,120 houses to be built in the area by 2044.

Further detailed assessment will still be required before deciding whether any sites should be allocated in the proposed submission version of the plan to be published by the city council in 2026, which will then go out for a further public consultation.

This version of the plan will then be submitted to central government who will appoint an independent planning inspector to carry out a public examination into the document.

It was hoped that the finalised Peterborough Local Plan would be adopted by December 2026.