Residents to gather as city’s largest draft housing site comes under scrutiny
A community-led public meeting will take place this week to examine Stoke-on-Trent City Council’s emerging Local Plan proposal for up to 3,000 homes on green belt land at Lightwood. Organised by the Lightwood Community Group, the session aims to give residents a platform to question and discuss the authority’s plans ahead of a further round of consultation over the summer.
The Lightwood allocation — identified between Cocknage Road, Lightwood Road and Woodpark Lane — is the single largest housing site in the draft plan, which sets out how a total of 19,000 homes could be delivered across Stoke-on-Trent up to 2040. The Local Plan is due to be submitted for formal examination before the end of the year.
What’s proposed at Lightwood
The site under consideration sits within the existing green belt. While a detailed layout has not been published at this stage, the allocation would accommodate a substantial share of the city’s future housing need if it proceeds through examination and adoption. The community group has likened the scale to effectively “building another Blythe Bridge” between nearby communities.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Indicative capacity | Up to 3,000 homes |
| Location | Between Cocknage Road, Lightwood Road and Woodpark Lane |
| Policy context | Draft Stoke-on-Trent Local Plan (to 2040) |
| Status | Largest single housing allocation proposed |
| Plan timetable | Submission for examination due before year-end |
Concerns raised by residents
People living in and around Lightwood have already voiced objections. Issues cited include the loss of protected countryside and the capacity of local infrastructure to absorb major growth.
- Green belt: Fears about permanent loss of open land and the effect on local character.
- Highways: The potential impact on already busy local roads and junctions.
- Drainage and water: Questions over surface water management and the need for updated infrastructure.
- Ground conditions: The presence of Etruria marl on the site has been noted as a technical consideration.
Political response and calls for a masterplan
The MP for Stoke-on-Trent South, Allison Gardner, raised the Lightwood allocation in the House of Commons after writing to council leader Jane Ashworth. She has pressed for a comprehensive framework to guide any development rather than incremental schemes.
Gardner said: "[Without a plan] there is a risk of piecemeal development, and my constituents cannot be reassured that there will be the transport, schools, healthcare, protected green spaces and updated water infrastructure that their communities need".
She argues that a clear masterplan is necessary to phase housing, secure necessary infrastructure and safeguard valued green areas if the allocation advances.
How to take part
The community meeting will be held at 19:00 BST on Wednesday at the Florence Sports and Social Club. Organisers say residents will have an opportunity to hear more about the proposals and feed in views ahead of the council’s next consultation window this summer.
The city council is expected to run a further round of Local Plan consultation in the coming weeks. Residents can prepare by reviewing site boundaries, considering transport and environmental impacts, and compiling written feedback for submission when the consultation opens.
What happens next
Following summer consultation, the council intends to finalise the plan for submission before the end of the year, at which point a planning inspector will examine it for soundness and legal compliance. The Lightwood allocation will be tested against national planning policy on green belt release, housing need, and infrastructure delivery.
For Lightwood and neighbouring communities, this week’s meeting marks a key moment: it will shape representations ahead of examination, where evidence on housing numbers, environmental constraints, transport capacity and community facilities will be scrutinised. The outcome will help determine whether the city’s largest proposed site proceeds, is modified, or is removed from the plan.
