92 dwellings planned

SCALED-down plans for a new housing development in Royston have been revealed.

Fairview Homes has submitted an application to North Herts District Council to build up to 92 dwellings on two sites next to Coombelands and Thackeray Close, Royston.

The developers had previously applied to build 250 houses on three plots of land to the north of Royston.

But following pressure from residents led by the North Royston Action Group (NRAG), they agreed to reduce the size of the scheme, scrapping a third site, which would have been reached via Burns Road.

Jayne Bratton from NRAG said the group’s initial thoughts were that the new plans represented a more “logical” approach from Fairview Homes.

She said: “We will be asking the members of NRAG for their views on the plans and liaising with the Coombelands Residents Association to learn their current thoughts.

“Our initial review indicates that the new plans seem to have incorporated changes to mitigate many of our concerns and are more ‘logical’ than the original plans.

“We will of course be reviewing all the plans and the supporting documents in detail to ensure that there are no outstanding or new concerns.”

Fairview planning manager John Baines said: “The plans were submitted following a public exhibition in April.

“We had a good turnout, and have responded positively to feedback.”