Stoke-on-Trent South MP Allison Gardner has urged the city council to reconsider its draft local plan, questioning proposals for thousands of additional homes and the inclusion of controversial development sites.
This article is based on reporting from the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS), a BBC funded initiative set up to strengthen reporting on local democratic issues. The Staffordshire Signal has taken part in the scheme since September 2026, which means we're able to draw on a selection of LDRS stories alongside our own.
What’s new: Stoke-on-Trent South MP Allison Gardner has called for the council to pause its local plan before submitting it for examination.
By the numbers: The council's housing target is 19,040 dwellings by 2040, while its proposed housing supply totals 21,740 homes. Lightwood is earmarked for up to 3,000 homes.
What’s next: The council is expected to submit its final draft before the end of 2026, but the MP wants the proposals reviewed first.
A Stoke-on-Trent MP has called on council bosses to pause the preparation of their new local plan, saying it is proposing too many homes.
Stoke-on-Trent City Council’s local plan sets how the authority will meet the government-set target of building 19,040 dwellings by 2040.
But Stoke-on-Trent South MP Allison Gardner says the council’s latest local plan documents fail to explain why the council is proposing a total supply of 21,740 homes – 2,130 more than the target.
Dr Gardner believes this makes it harder for the council to justify the inclusion of controversial housing sites such as land at Lightwood, which has been earmarked for 3,000 homes.
The council is due to submit the final draft version of the local plan for examination before the end of the year.
But Dr Gardner says the authority should instead pause and review its proposals.
“I have consistently argued that the national housing target is too high. To then see the council planning for another 2,130 homes on top of that is unacceptable.
“Residents should not have to bear the consequences of previous administrations failing to meet housebuilding targets. We need to be asking whether these additional sites are necessary in the first place.
“I am asking the council to pause the local plan, take stock and reconsider its proposals.”
Dr Gardner has also raised concerns over ‘inconsistency’ in how the council has assessed sites’ deliverability, after allocations in the north of the city were reduced in scale whereas Lightwood is still earmarked for 3,000 homes.
She has submitted a freedom of information request seeking details of the council’s discussions with landowners.
The council recently published a site selection topic paper, which explains the methodology used for the housing allocations in the local plan.
The document states that the additional 2,130 homes will ‘maximise housing delivery, ensure choice, flexibility and the provision of affordable housing’.
It also explains that while ‘broad locations’ such as Lightwood, are expected to deliver a total of 7,917 homes, only around three-quarters will be built during the plan period, with the remaining 1,920 coming after 2040.
The city council has been approached for comment.
Written by Phil Corrigan, Local Democracy Reporter.
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