Nottingham Post

‘Holding out’

VILLAGE STANDS FIRM AGAINST HUGE DEVELOPMEN­TS

- By JOSHUA HARTLEY joshua.hartley@reachplc.com @Joshhartle­y70

VILLAGERS hope their community will continue to “hold out” against new housing developmen­ts.

Residents in Cropwell Bishop are hopeful they can avoid more building in the near future, in contrast to the hundreds of homes planned in nearby villages.

On Church Street, Cropwell Bishop, 85 homes are currently being built, in what villagers have labelled the largest housebuild­ing project in decades.

But nearby villages like Radcliffeo­n-trent and Cotgrave have seen plans progress for hundreds of houses, with some even expressing the opinion that their villages were becoming towns.

But Mandy Warwick, 44, who has lived in the village for 22 years, thought Cropwell Bishop was “holding out”.

“It is a hold-out, really, at the minute when you look at the hundreds going up elsewhere.

“Bingham and Radcliffe-on-trent are getting lots more houses than here – I do hope it doesn’t go that way.

“It still is a small village and it has that feel. I don’t feel it will turn into a town or even a bigger village.

“Even the 80 or so houses will make a big difference here. We don’t have the bus networks or transport links for much more.”

School escort driver Sanjay Seth, 61, who lives in the village, said: “There’s a need for housing and 85 is not that much compared to other places. I’ve lived here for 18 years.

“Bingham and Cotgrave have had a lot more – hundreds of new houses.

“It is difficult to say, but in another 10 or 20 years there might be more.

“The only problem I would see is the transport to and from the village – everyone has a car around here now.

“But I also think a lot of people here do not want to see the village grow too much more, but there is a big shortage.”

Another Cropwell Bishop resident, who did not want to be named, said: “We don’t want to be ending up like the villages that are having hundreds built. A few houses here and there is good because we have a shortage – 85 is quite a lot here.

“There’s not the infrastruc­ture for it here really. I don’t think it will be like other villages, and I hope it doesn’t either.”

In total, Rushcliffe Borough Council has allocated 25 sites in their Local Plan Part 2 which are expected to contain around 3,380 new homes.

Councillor Gordon Moore, who represents the Cropwell ward on the council, said there were no current plans to bring more homes to Cropwell Bishop.

“It’s correct what people are saying, and we don’t anticipate any more homes in Cropwell Bishop,” he said.

“Rushcliffe Borough Council have got sufficient numbers planned for the future, and we really don’t expect any more.

“This one developmen­t [Cropwell Meadow off Church Street] seems to be setting in nicely, but I don’t expect any more.

“I suppose you can never know, but we’ve got 3,000 going up at Fairham, 1,000 at Bingham and several hundred going up at Radcliffe-ontrent, so I don’t see a need in the near future.”

 ?? Marie wilson ?? Cropwell Boshop and (inset) villager Sanjay Seth, 61
Marie wilson Cropwell Boshop and (inset) villager Sanjay Seth, 61

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