A MAJOR housing scheme has been put on hold until developers provide a council with more information on the safety of the site.

Harrow Estates had hoped to get the go-ahead to build 380 homes on the site of the former Bayer CropSciences site at Hauxton. But South Cambridgeshire district council will not consider granting detailed planning permission until they receive more details on the clean-up of the land.

As reported in the Crow last year, a monitoring report on the state of the site following remediation work was submitted to the district council in October.

But after this was reviewed by experts, it remains unclear if the land meets the standard required to allow homes to be built there.

Cllr Nick Wright, South Cambridgeshire District Council’s cabinet member for planning, said: “We have always been very clear that no homes can be built until the developers demonstrate the land has been cleaned up to stringent standards and until we are satisfied there is conclusive evidence no work will go ahead.

“The stance we are taking is no more than residents deserve and expect and we look forward to the developers submitting more information.”

The remidiation measures at Hauxton were carried out in 2011. It caused controversy among residents, who complained about the strong smell of chemicals created during the work.

Outline planning permission for the development has already been grated by the district council, and the first phases would see more than 200 houses erected.

Cllr Wright said: “It could be a case that no more work on the site is needed to give us the evidence we need but our experts, along with the Environment Agency, Health Protection Agency and independent external consultants must all be 100 per cent satisfied.”

All reports submitted by developers can be viewed on the district council website, www.scambs.gov.uk/bayersite