Plans to build 17 homes on the site of a former riding stable on the outskirts of Stevenage have been approved for a second time by councillors – after the developer decided to make the houses bigger.

Stevenage Borough Council initially approved the Courtlands development in Todds Green last year, including 11 three-bedroom homes and six four-bedroom homes.

Work on the Green Belt site has already begun following the initial granting of planning permission in January 2023.

Construction of the larger homes can now proceed after the council’s planning committee approved the plans at its meeting on Tuesday (29 October).

Under the new plans, the homes will include utility rooms accessible directly from outside, and larger family rooms.

A council officer said people who live in more rural areas would “expect to have” utility or boot rooms and that the homes are seen as “aspirational”.

The total footprint of the homes will now be 1,700 square metres compared to 1,400 square metres under the previously approved plans. When the site was used as stables, the built on footprint was 2,500 square metres.

The development also includes a wildflower meadow and pedestrian access to Stevenage via a link to a footbridge over the railway line. Vehicle access to the site will be from Old Chantry Lane. 

Formerly, the site was occupied by the Old Chantry Lane Stables, which opened in 1977 but closed in April 2022 with owner Jacky Halling saying that it was “becoming unprofitable”.

When Stevenage Borough Council discussed the previous application for the site, officers deemed it would have a “less than substantial impact” on the Green Belt, given the overall reduction in hardstanding areas.

Councillors approved the new application unanimously, judging that the “visual impact” of the changes was not a reason to reverse the council’s decision on the previous application.