Developer lodges application with Stafford Borough Council for 10-acre site in Hixon village

Bellway has submitted a planning application to demolish derelict Second World War military hospital buildings in the Staffordshire village of Hixon and replace them with 86 new homes.

The application for the 10-acre site off St Peters View was validated by Stafford Borough Council on March 13. The council will now consult publicly before deciding.

The scheme involves the demolition of five buildings associated with the former RAF Hixon Military Hospital, including the main hospital block, an air raid shelter, an ambulance garage and mortuary, and a picket post. RAF Hixon originally opened in 1942 as an Operational Training Unit.

Housing mix and green space

The 86 homes would comprise 60 two-, three- and four-bedroom houses for private sale alongside 26 affordable homes, representing 30 per cent of the total.

Three acres of green open space would include a children’s play area, kickabout space, community orchard, and footpaths and cycleways.

Chris O’Hanlon, senior planning manager for Bellway, said: “This project will deliver much-needed new housing for the area, including 30 per cent affordable housing for low-cost rent or shared ownership, helping local people to find homes which meet their needs in the village.

“Our design approach has very much been guided by the site’s rural setting in Staffordshire, with a landscape-led scheme which retains approximately a third of the land as green open space.”