Barratts Told to Obey the Law at New Lane Development

Liberal Democrat councillors have welcomed enforcement action requiring Barratt Developments to comply with planning conditions at the New Lane development in Huntington.

The notice, issued on 17 February, requires the developer to cease construction, loading and unloading outside permitted hours at the site off New Lane, Huntington. The enforcement action follows months of complaints from residents and repeated representations from local Liberal Democrat councillors.

The notice requires all construction activity to stop outside the hours of 8:00am–6:00pm Monday to Friday, 9:00am–1:00pm Saturday, and at any time on Sundays and public holidays. There is no right of appeal against the notice, and the developer has 30 days to comply.

Councillors say the action follows regular reports made since development began in November 2024, including meetings with developer Barratt Developments to raise concerns directly.

Cllr Keith Orrell said:          

“This development was opposed by the vast majority of Huntington people and only gained approval by the Tory Government with Labour support at Planning. Local people deserve the full protection of the planning conditions.

“As ward councillors we have regularly seen breaches of planning conditions, alongside residents reporting problems with out-of-hours construction for many months. We have consistently passed those concerns to the Council, raised them directly with Barratts in regular meetings, and urged officers to take action.

“We welcome the fact that enforcement action has now been taken. However, residents will understandably ask whether this could and should have happened sooner. Planning conditions are there, in part, to protect the quality of life of people living nearby and they must be respected.”

Cllr Carol Runciman added:

“Liberal Democrats are not opposed to building the homes we need. We supported the 970-home development at Monks Cross Link Road because it was in the right location with the right infrastructure in place.

“But when developments are forced through against strong local opposition, it is even more important that every planning condition is properly enforced. Residents in Huntington have a right to expect the rules to be followed.”

Cllr Chris Cullwick said:

“From the start, we have been clear that if this development was going to go ahead, it had to stick to the conditions set to protect residents.

“We have been clear with Barratts from the outset about the strength of local feeling. This notice sends a clear message that conditions attached to planning permissions are not optional.”