Housing secretary Steve Reed has told Fenland District Council that he will take the final decision on whether a new science park – which the applicants will say will create 1,600 jobs – can be built at Whittlesey.
Mr Reed, only appointed in September as Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, dropped his bombshell email on Fenland District Council today just hours before its planning committee were due to meet to discuss the application.
The letter was revealed by senior planner (special projects) Gavin Taylor as the planning committee came together at Fenland Hall, March, to debate the application.
Mr Taylor said the minister had advised he was exercising powers under article 31 of the Town and Country Planning Development Management procedure order.
“The Secretary of State directs the council not to grant permission without specific authorisation; it is to enable him to direct under section 77 of the Town and Country Planning Act that the application should be referred to them for determination,” said Mr Taylor.
However, Mr Taylor said it was important to note the directions that did not present the council considering the application or forming an opinion as to the merits of the application or refusing it if so minded.
“In essence the direction should not influence decision making and if this council resolves to grant permission, the Secretary of State needs time to consider call in decision for their own consideration before the council issues any planning permission,” said Mr Taylor.
Councillors continued to debate the application for the science park, planned by Saxon Works Ltd; officers recommended its approval and cited the significant economic benefits, most notably, the creation of up to 1,660 full-time equivalent jobs.
The proposed development will see a 45-hectare site on Peterborough Road, currently used for commercial vehicle storage and formerly brickwork pits, transformed into a campus for science and technology-based businesses. The plans include office, laboratory, and manufacturing spaces, renewable energy infrastructure, a country park, and a range of amenities.
However, the officer’s report accompanying the recommendation to approve makes clear there is no definitive definition of what companies would fall within a science park description.
Saxon Works Ltd, the applicant behind the science park, is a private company limited by shares, incorporated in England and Wales. Its registered office is at 20 Commerce Road, Lynch Wood, Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, PE2 6LR.
UPDATE: After a two hour debate, the planning committee recommended approval.
