A town at a crossroads
Stone is changing. Not in the slow, gradual way that most Staffordshire market towns evolve over decades, but in a concentrated, policy-driven wave that is reshaping where homes are built, how planning decisions are made, and what your property in ST15 could be worth over the next five to ten years.
At the centre of this shift is Stafford Borough Council’s new Local Plan 2025–2045, which relaunched for public consultation earlier this year following the scrapping of the previous 2020–2040 plan. That consultation closed in July 2026, and its implications for buyers and sellers in Stone, Walton, and the wider ST15 postcode are significant, and largely misunderstood.
This guide from Belvoir Stone breaks down exactly what is happening, why it matters, and what you should be doing about it right now.
Why the housing land supply shortfall is driving development pressure
The most immediately consequential figure in the current planning landscape is this: Stafford Borough currently holds just a 3.37-year housing land supply, well below the five-year minimum required by the National Planning Policy Framework.
This shortfall is not a technicality. Under national planning rules, when a local authority cannot demonstrate a five-year land supply, its ability to refuse planning applications is significantly weakened. Developers know this, and they are acting on it.
The new Local Plan targets 826 homes per year across the borough. Stone and its surrounding areas are absorbing a substantial portion of that demand, with over 1,200 homes currently in active planning across Stone and Walton alone.
The major development schemes reshaping Stone and Walton
Understanding which schemes are in the pipeline, and where, is essential for anyone buying or selling in ST15 right now.
Bloor Homes’ Eccleshall Road scheme
The most significant proposal is Bloor Homes’ 510-home development on Eccleshall Road, on the northern edge of Stone. This is a large-scale scheme that will substantially increase the supply of new-build three and four-bedroom homes in the Walton area. For sellers of similar properties in Walton, this matters: an increase in new-build stock at competitive pricing can create a ceiling on achievable prices for existing three-bedroom homes in the short to medium term.
Richborough’s 240-home application
The Richborough application for 240 homes adds further weight to the development pressure on the western and northern fringes of Stone. Taken alongside the Bloor scheme, this represents a very significant shift in the character and density of the Walton corridor.
Fillybrooks and the grey belt question
Perhaps the most contentious proposal in Stone’s current planning landscape is the 70-home Fillybrooks development, which involves land designated as Green Belt, or more precisely, what the government’s updated guidance now refers to as “grey belt”. The outcome of this application will be closely watched, as it signals how far planning pressure is willing to push into previously protected land around Stone.
Stonefield Works: the Oulton Road brownfield transformation
Not all of Stone’s new development is on greenfield land. The approved Stonefield Works scheme, 114 homes on the former Hitachi site on Oulton Road, represents a genuinely positive story for that part of town. Brownfield regeneration of this kind typically supports surrounding property values rather than undermining them, and the transformation of a long-derelict industrial site into a residential neighbourhood is likely to improve the overall desirability of the Oulton Road area over the coming years.
What Meecebrook Garden Village means for Stone’s long-term values
Looking beyond the immediate pipeline, one of the most consequential proposals in the Local Plan is the Meecebrook Garden Village, a new settlement of up to 6,000 homes planned for land north of Stone, near the A519 corridor.
For existing homeowners in ST15, this is worth understanding carefully. A large, purpose-built settlement of this scale, delivered with its own infrastructure, schools, and employment land, has the potential to redirect significant growth pressure away from Stone itself. Rather than seeing continuous piecemeal development on the edges of existing neighbourhoods, Meecebrook could absorb future housing numbers, and in doing so, help to protect the character and relative scarcity that underpins values in established Stone postcodes.
This is not guaranteed, and delivery timescales for garden villages are notoriously long. But it is a genuine structural reason for cautious optimism among existing Stone homeowners.
School catchment premiums: the ST15 factor that buyers cannot ignore
One of the most consistent drivers of property value in Stone is school catchment. Homes within the catchment zones for Walton Priory Middle School and Alleyne’s Academy command a measurable premium, typically in the range of £15,000 to £30,000 on a property otherwise valued at around £295,000.
As new development expands the overall housing stock in Walton and the wider ST15 area, catchment boundaries may come under review. Buyers paying a premium for catchment access should seek up-to-date confirmation of boundaries before committing, particularly where new-build developments are being proposed close to existing catchment edges.
For sellers in established catchment zones, this premium remains one of the strongest arguments for marketing now, before additional supply dilutes the scarcity that drives it.
Infrastructure concerns and buyer confidence
Stone Town Council has raised formal concerns about the pace of development relative to infrastructure delivery, and these concerns are well-founded. Two issues stand out in particular.
GP capacity
Stone’s GP surgeries are already under considerable pressure. With over 1,200 homes in active planning, the potential addition of thousands of new residents without corresponding investment in primary healthcare is a legitimate concern for both existing residents and prospective buyers. This is a factor that Belvoir Stone regularly discusses with buyers who are relocating to the area and weighing up long-term liveability.
Walton Roundabout and road pinch-points
The Walton Roundabout is already a recognised congestion point during peak hours. Significant additional residential development on the Eccleshall Road corridor, without meaningful highway improvements, risks compounding this problem. Buyers purchasing in Walton should factor commute times into their assessment, and sellers should be prepared to address this point proactively in marketing conversations.
What this means if you are thinking of selling in Stone
The window for sellers in certain parts of Stone, particularly those with three-bedroom homes in Walton, may be more time-sensitive than it appears. As new-build supply increases over the next 12 to 36 months, the competitive landscape for resale properties in that price bracket will shift.
Sellers who act in 2026, before the bulk of new-build completions arrive, are likely to face less direct competition and benefit from the current supply-demand imbalance that still characterises the ST15 market.
Properties with strong school catchment credentials, brownfield-adjacent regeneration benefits (such as those near the Oulton Road Stonefield Works site), or characteristics that new-build homes cannot replicate, such as period features, established gardens and mature street scenes, remain well-positioned.
What this means if you are buying in ST15
For buyers, the current planning environment creates both opportunity and risk. New-build options are expanding, offering choice and in some cases Help to Buy-style incentives from developers. But buyers should assess carefully whether purchasing in a zone of heavy development exposure, particularly on the Eccleshall Road corridor, is right for their long-term equity position.
Conversely, buying in established streets within proven catchment zones, or near the regenerating Oulton Road area, offers a more resilient value proposition as the wider market absorbs new supply.
Speak to Belvoir Stone before you make your next move
The Stone Staffordshire property market in 2026 is genuinely complex. The interplay between the new Local Plan, the housing land supply shortfall, major development schemes, school catchment premiums, and infrastructure pressures creates a landscape where local knowledge is not just helpful, it is essential.
At Belvoir Stone, we work with buyers and sellers across ST15 every day. We understand the nuances of the Walton market, the implications of the Eccleshall Road pipeline, and the questions you should be asking before you commit to any property decision in this area.
If you are considering selling your home in Stone, now is an excellent time to understand what your property is worth in the current market. Book a valuation with Belvoir Stone today and get a clear, data-informed picture of where you stand.
If you have questions about buying in ST15, whether you are a first-time buyer, a family relocating for school catchment, or an investor assessing the development landscape, get in touch with our Stone branch directly. We are here to help you make a confident, well-informed decision.
