Council approves building on farmland

Stoke-on-Trent City Council's ruling cabinet has decided farmland it owns in Packmoor can be built on, with 816 homes proposed. 

It is a decision that "cuts deep" for resident and campaigner Darren Bamford, who said he fought tirelessly to keep council-owned farmland in Packmoor protected from development. 

"To me, that [decision] was absolutely gut wrenching. I'm filled with sadness, anger, frustration - ultimately it will forever change Packmoor," he said.

But the local authority's cabinet member for regeneration Councillor Finlay Gordon-McCusker has defended the move.

"This site is one of the most deliverable and developerable so it would be remiss of us to ignore it and exclude it," he said.

This decision comes as the city council is working to deliver 948 properties a year by 2029, to meet the government's housing target of building 1.5 million homes.