Protecting Appleby Magna from speculative development
Cameron Homes is a Midlands-based housebuilder with a focus on semi-rural and village-edge locations. While they market themselves as a quality developer, there have been past incidents that raised public concern.
At Lea Castle Village (Kidderminster), Cameron Homes was served with a Temporary Stop Notice (TSN) by Newark & Sherwood District Council for unauthorised works on a separate development site. These included commencing work on highways without S278 approval, creating an unauthorised access road, operating without a wheel-wash facility, and failing to protect trees adequately. This led to formal complaints from residents and undermined community confidence in the developer’s practices.
In Appleby Magna, the first notice to residents regarding their current proposal arrived via leaflet on 28 May 2025, just days before a limited-time drop-in event. Many locals felt this provided inadequate opportunity for meaningful consultation and raised questions about transparency.
Evolve Planning is a UK-based consultancy that works closely with developers to secure planning permission, particularly on greenfield and edge-of-settlement sites. Their involvement in schemes across Bedfordshire, Warwickshire, and Oxfordshire has sometimes drawn strong community opposition.
Evolve typically conducts online consultations and limited exhibition sessions early in the process. While framed as public engagement, these approaches have been criticised by some as offering limited room for genuine community dialogue.
Although direct controversies tied to Evolve Planning are less well-documented in mainstream press, their recurring role in contentious developments highlights a pattern that raises concerns among rural communities.
Given the planning refusal history of the Appleby Magna site and past accountability issues linked to Cameron Homes, residents have raised valid concerns about the transparency and long-term intentions of those behind this proposal.
Source: Newark & Sherwood District Council – Temporary Stop Notice issued for unauthorised development activities at Lea Castle Village (Kidderminster).