Residents dismayed over 'vague' plan for hundreds of homes in Staffordshire village

Members of public attending Stafford Borough Council's event at Hixon Memorial Hall said the exhibition left them disappointed.

The local authority held the event to inform the public on its need to build between 8,000 to 13,000 new homes by 2040. Five different housing plans have been drawn up.

The locations for new housing are still to be decided as landowners have been invited to put forward their land for development.

The quaint village has about 850 homes at present, but under plans for new housing, about 2,500 could be built around its perimeter.

"It would be like a big tyre around Hixon," said the village's parish council chairman, Councillor Brendan McKeown.

At the memorial hall, there were boards set up outlining broad details for new housing in Stafford - but no specific plans for Hixon, leaving residents feeling in the dark. The terminology used was dubbed "council jargon" by one resident.

Councillor McKeown said: "This event was supposed to be informative but it is a bit vague."

'Cloaked in council jargon'

Jerry Archer, 58, from a nearby village called Stowe-by-Chartley, said: "It is difficult for an average resident to really understand the message here today.

"People have come here wanting to see a little bit more information. The language is cloaked in council jargon."

A woman who only wished to give her name as Angie, from Sycamore Drive, Hixon, who attended with her husband Barry, was not impressed with the plans.

Angie, in her 60s, said: "It was disappointing to come here tonight. All we have got is generalised plans, there is no detail."

Her husband Barry said: "They want to build 2,000 homes on the airfield (at Hixon).

"With HS2 coming as well, I don't know how the area will cope. We moved [from Bradley, in Bilston] for the rural setting but now it will become an urban conurbation."

Among the proposed housing developments put forward to Stafford Borough Council would be to build 2,750 homes on the former Second World War airfield at Hixon.

Wider plans would see seven new garden villages built around Stafford near villages like Hixon and Gnosall.

The five options tabled to residents as part of a public consultation range from: building the minimum 8,160 homes set by the Government, to the maximum 13,668, which would focus more on improving employment opportunities.

Alex Yendole, planning policy manager, responding to concerns about a lack of detail at the public exhibition, said: "At the moment this consultation is looking at housing numbers and employment numbers rather than focusing on particular locations."

Will Conaghan, spokesman for the council, said: "“The public exhibitions are the opportunity for people to come and ask questions of our team who can explain more about the consultation on the issues and options for the future development of our borough which is part of the Local Plan process.

"Alongside this is a comprehensive consultation document which has a range of those issues and options for people to consider.

"The new Local Plan process has many stages and this one is about gathering evidence from the public to look at the potential for housing, employment, protection of the environment, and use of land.

"When we have all that evidence then we can start putting more meat on the bone to develop our new draft plan.”

A public presentation is taking place at Hixon Memorial Hall on Saturday, between 2pm to 4pm, to show where planned housing developments have been earmarked around Hixon.