A group of petitioners demanding enough planting to screen their homes from a proposed housing development in Central Bedfordshire say the local authority should be doing more to enforce planning rules.
The application submitted by O and H Land lacks a landscape buffer between Marston Moretaine and the 400 homes it proposes to build to the south-west of the village, according to the protesters.
Screening was asked for in advance by 171 residents of Manor Road, Brook Road, Banks Close and Woburn Road, who petitioned Central Bedfordshire Council in March.
They claim the local authority has failed to address the issue and has insisted the developer revises the project to provide sufficient landscaping.
Campaigner Andrew Battams, who lives next to the site, said: “The CBC Local Plan explains how the Marston Vale new villages are to be delivered.
“One of the policies states ‘the development will form a series of new villages appropriately separated and screened from neighbouring settlements by green and blue infrastructure’.
“And another suggests development ‘will only be permitted where it wouldn’t result in the physical or visual merger of villages or where it can be shown appropriate mitigation would prevent any harm arising’.
“A council officer now denies this merger issue policy applies to Marston Vale new villages.
“An environmental impact assessment notes the extension will cause “a major-moderate adverse visual effect” for Manor Road, he explained. “The law expects public authorities to keep their promises.
“During the Local Plan public consultation and examination, CBC said there would be ‘clear separation between towns and villages and the new developments’.
“It suggested ‘comprehensive and quite extensive master planning work indicated separation can be provided between current settlements and the new villages’.”
Despite submitting a legal opinion about relevant planning policies to the council in July, Mr Battams has yet to receive a response.
Planning consultant Andrew Burgess said: “Policy SA 2 doesn’t allow for extensions to villages. It states: ‘New villages appropriately separated and screened from neighbouring settlements by green and blue infrastructure’.
“The wording is precise and clear, and no justification or material consideration has been put forward to deviate from this approach.
“Unless and until a substantial strategic landscape buffer is provided on land to the south of Marston Moretaine, the planning application should be refused.”
Mr Battams added: “This is fundamentally a question of trust. CBC spent five years producing its Local Plan.
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