The sight of bulldozers appearing at eight o'clock on Monday morning in Newton Road has worried residents. The men clearing the site told neighbours that houses were going to be built there and showed people a plan. In the past this site has been put forward as an affordable housing site as it is in the green belt.
I have now spoken to the district council's:
- planning enforcement team
- ecology officer
- head of new communities.
As the site isn't in the conservation area, there are no restrictions on a land owner choosing to clear his land, but no planning application has been received by South Cambs regarding this site.
Officers at the district said although they knew of the site they had had no recent discussions about it.
They suggested that the owners might be clearing the site to carry out a topographical survey.
I have been to the site this afternoon with the vice chair of the parish council, Marie Swann, and we have sent information to the district ecology officer regarding the well established trees on the site.
Although residents feel that notice to the village of what was going to happen would have been the right thing to do, there hasn't been a breach of law here. We looked at the access to the green space behind Newton Road which is still accessible.
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