Family-owned five-star housebuilder, Bloor Homes, is proposing a landscape-led development of high-quality family and affordable homes, specialist older people’s housing, a new first school, and extensive landscaped public open spaces on land north of Eccleshall Road, west of Stone.
The proposed new neighbourhood would create a network of new walking and cycling routes set within green corridors on land that is currently inaccessible to the public. The retention of existing mature trees and woodland, alongside extensive landscape planting would significantly increase tree cover across the site.
It is envisaged that the development would be designed with frontage homes featuring a bespoke Staffordshire design code being produced by Bloor Homes informed by character studies of a range of Staffordshire towns and villages.
A package of improvements to local highways infrastructure is also proposed, including significant enhancements to increase capacity at the Walton roundabout, and improved active travel links along Eccleshall Road.
Update – October 2025
Outline planning application submitted
Our outline planning application has now been submitted to Stafford Borough Council. The outline planning application sets out the principles for the delivery of up to 510 net zero carbon-ready family and affordable homes, specialist older people’s housing, a new first school, and extensive landscaped public open space including play areas, community orchard, areas for biodiversity enhancement and a network of walking and cycling routes on land previously inaccessible to the public. A package of improvements to increase capacity in the local highway network has also been proposed, to be funded by the development.
We have refreshed this website’s homepage to reflect the planning submission.
The outline planning application is the first formal step in the planning process, setting out broad overarching principles of development and will involve statutory consultation carried out by Stafford Borough Council with a wide range of organisations. If approved, a further planning application will then be required to establish the finer details of the proposed neighbourhood, including architecture, layout and landscaping.
The planning application documentation can be viewed via this link, where Stafford Borough Council’s statutory consultation on the submitted plans can also be accessed (please quote reference 25/41229/OUT).
A focus on biodiversity and sustainability
The new homes for Stone will be built to Future Homes Standard, meaning a gas-free development with new homes incorporating air source heat pumps, PV cells, uprated insulation and EV charging infrastructure. This will deliver a neighbourhood of Net Zero Carbon-ready homes.
We want to deliver a high-quality, healthy new neighbourhood, with a focus on providing extensive green public open spaces and significant biodiversity enhancements. Existing mature trees and woodland will be retained, along with the majority of existing hedgerows, with the layout shaped by historic field patterns. New landscape planting will deliver a significant increase in tree cover across the site and the opportunity to reintroduce historic hedgerows which had been lost to intensive agriculture. The sustainable drainage scheme for the site will deliver high quality wetland habitat. This focus on green infrastructure will deliver biodiversity net gain of at least 10%.
Bloor Homes is a member of the Homes for Nature programme which will see the installation of nesting bricks or boxes in every new home and hedgehog highways between gardens.
Community consultation
We want to ensure that the proposals align as much as possible with the priorities and aspirations of the community in Stone.
Bloor Homes created this website for members of the community to view the emerging plans and provide feedback. We asked local people to tell us your priorities and aspirations for new homes, open spaces and community facilities to help shape the outline plans.
Following this process, we have now submitted an outline planning application to Stafford Borough Council.
Timeline
Ongoing preparatory work
Spring 2025We carried out preparatory work prior to launching consultation with the community on the emerging outline plans. This includes an EIA screening request which was issued to the local planning authority to help inform the scope of technical work.
Pre-application community consultation
July 2025An opportunity for local people to help shape the emerging plans.
Outline planning application
Early autumn 2025We will submit an outline planning application for our proposed neighbourhood of new homes, first school, and extensive green public open spaces to Stafford Borough Council. This website will be updated with information about the submitted plans and email notifications will be sent to all who have opted-in to receive them advising of the outline planning submission.
Statutory consultation
Autumn 2025Stafford Borough Council will carry out Statutory Consultation on the submitted outline plans, seeking feedback from statutory bodies such as local town and parish councils, the local NHS, education providers and highways authorities, as well as members of the public.
Outline planning application determined
In line with Stafford Borough Council planning timescalesStafford Borough Council will make a decision on our outline planning application.
Reserved matters planning application
Estimated 2026Should outline planning permission be granted, we will then prepare detailed Reserved Matters planning applications for the new neighbourhood. This would involve further consultation with the community on these matters of detail prior to the Reserved Matters planning applications being submitted.
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