A large housing development on the Rutland and Stamford border which has amassed several hundreds of objections, is recommended for approval next week. 

The long-planned Monarch Park at the Quarry Farm site near Stamford should be approved according to planning officers at Rutland County Council. 

The 650-home scheme, set in 160 acres of green space, woodland and former quarry land, is being proposed by Peterborough-based house builder Allison Homes and will link up with the 1,350-home Stamford North scheme, approved by South Kesteven District Council (SKDC) last month. 

Quarry Farm is allocated for housebuilding on Rutland County Council's draft local plan, but Stamford Town Council, the parish councils for Ketton and Little Casterton and more than 600 residents have objected to the development, with neighbouring SKDC maintaining a 'holding objection' until issues such as financial contributions to infrastructure, bus provision and affordable housing are settled. 

The development will include a centre of shops and community facilities and a country park. A link road between Casterton Road to the north west of Stamford and Ryhall Road to the north east, is also part of the plans. 

Councillors on the planning committee will meet on Tuesday, January 14, to make their decision and there is expected to be a significant contingent of protesting residents who turn up to show their disapproval, but only one will be allowed to speak in the council chamber. 

Carys Vaughan, who is part of the campaign group Protect Quarry Farm, said: "They [the council] will not be allowing any further speakers from the public – all this despite nearly 1,000 formal objections and a long-standing three-year public campaign. To boil all that down to just one person for three minutes makes a mockery of the democratic process." 

Cllr Nick Begy (Ind), who chairs the planning committee, said having one speaker for and one against a planning application has been part of the council's constitution for several years. The ward councillor, meanwhile, will be given five minutes to speak about the application. 

The reasons for objections centre around traffic and changes to the landscape, as part of the site is popular with walkers. 

In their report, planning officers have weighed up a number of aspects of the scheme, and labelled them as either negative, positive or neutral. The negative aspects are considered to be the effect on agricultural land, neighbours and protected species, but these are given limited weighting. Positive aspects are considered to be new homes, health benefits from the new country park, a biodiversity gain, and the heritage asset of the Ermine Street Monument marking the former Roman Road from London to the North which will be looked after with the vegetation cleared. 

The meeting will take place at Rutland County Council's headquarters at Catmose House, Oakham, on Tuesday, January 14, at 7pm. A large housing development on the Rutland and Stamford border which has amassed several hundreds of objections, is recommended for approval next week. 

The long-planned Monarch Park at the Quarry Farm site near Stamford should be approved according to planning officers at Rutland County Council. 

The 650-home scheme, set in 160 acres of green space, woodland and former quarry land, is being proposed by Peterborough-based house builder Allison Homes and will link up with the 1,350-home Stamford North scheme, approved by South Kesteven District Council (SKDC) last month. 

Quarry Farm is allocated for housebuilding on Rutland County Council's draft local plan, but Stamford Town Council, the parish councils for Ketton and Little Casterton and more than 600 residents have objected to the development, with neighbouring SKDC maintaining a 'holding objection' until issues such as financial contributions to infrastructure, bus provision and affordable housing are settled. 

The development will include a centre of shops and community facilities and a country park. A link road between Casterton Road to the north west of Stamford and Ryhall Road to the north east, is also part of the plans. 

Councillors on the planning committee will meet on Tuesday, January 14, to make their decision and there is expected to be a significant contingent of protesting residents who turn up to show their disapproval, but only one will be allowed to speak in the council chamber. 

Carys Vaughan, who is part of the campaign group Protect Quarry Farm, said: "They [the council] will not be allowing any further speakers from the public – all this despite nearly 1,000 formal objections and a long-standing three-year public campaign. To boil all that down to just one person for three minutes makes a mockery of the democratic process." 

Cllr Nick Begy (Ind), who chairs the planning committee, said having one speaker for and one against a planning application has been part of the council's constitution for several years. The ward councillor, meanwhile, will be given five minutes to speak about the application. 

The reasons for objections centre around traffic and changes to the landscape, as part of the site is popular with walkers. 

In their report, planning officers have weighed up a number of aspects of the scheme, and labelled them as either negative, positive or neutral. The negative aspects are considered to be the effect on agricultural land, neighbours and protected species, but these are given limited weighting. Positive aspects are considered to be new homes, health benefits from the new country park, a biodiversity gain, and the heritage asset of the Ermine Street Monument marking the former Roman Road from London to the North which will be looked after with the vegetation cleared. 

The meeting will take place at Rutland County Council's headquarters at Catmose House, Oakham, on Tuesday, January 14, at 7pm.