Still time to have your say on development brief for Barrow

A public consultation on the draft development brief for Barrow’s final Rural Vision 2031 allocation of homes will come to an end next Sunday (October 11).

Responses to the draft brief – for 75 residential units, one hectare of business land and additional parking for Barrow Surgery on land to the east of Barrow Hill – will inform the final document, which could go before full council as early as December.

Richard Clews, associate planner for property consultant Strutt & Parker, said around 50 people had attended its first drop-in session, where most questions had focused on the technical merits of the proposal and the accumulative effect of recent developments.

A second session is due to take place at the village hall from 2.45pm-6.30pm today.

Cllr Graham Judge, chairman of Barrow Parish Council, said the council would not be in a position to comment on the proposal until a planning application had been submitted and the specific details were known.

But Strutt & Parker has been invited to meet with council at the end of the consultation to discuss its findings.

Cllr Judge said: “We promised the village, early in April, that when a formal planning application goes in and we know exactly how many houses and what type and how many are affordable homes we’ll hold a public meeting, organised by the parish council, so we can get, first hand, people’s views and opinions.

“We can’t tell them in advance if we’re in favour or against - it would be inappropriate to indicate a thumbs up or thumbs down to a planning application we haven’t seen.”

The draft brief and supporting material can be viewed at www.barrowhillplanning.uk

To submit comments, or for more information, call Mr Clews on 01245 254646 or email richard.clews@struttandparker.com