Plan for huge 850-home estate ‘should have a health warning on it’
CONCERN OVER SCALE OF SCHEME SET FOR FARMLAND WITH NEARBY GP SURGERIES AT ‘FULL CAPACITY’
PLANS for 850 homes, a care home and other community facilities in Mansfield have been approved, despite reservations from councillors over the size of the scheme.
The new settlement – exactly half the size of the Lindhurst Development near Berry Hill – was brought forward by developer Hellier at Pleasley Hill Farm, off the Mansfield and Ashfield Regeneration Route (MARR).
The plans will see up to 850 properties created on agricultural land off the busy A617, with the development to also include a petrol station, gym, shops and employment spaces.
It comes after the land was allocated in Mansfield District Council’s local housing plan in 2020, with the site earmarked for up to 925 homes.
This means the principle for development had already been set for the site, with statutory consultees on the plans including neighbouring authorities raising no clear objections to the development.
Members of the public attended a planning committee meeting on Monday to listen to the debate. Two speakers called on councillors to reject the proposals.
Pamela Simpson, a local resident, told councillors: “This development can’t go ahead. Everybody across the area does not want it, we’re all against it. There’s no part of it that’s useful for the community, nothing at all.
“There should be a health warning placed on this development. With this development, with other areas in and around this development, if you put it all together is there going to be any room [in Mansfield]?”
A 102-page document published ahead of the meeting stated more than £5m will be requested in Section 106 contributions to mitigate the potential impact of the plans.
The NHS clinical commissioning group (CCG) will receive about £500,000 to support healthcare services, with three nearby GP surgeries in the area currently operating “at full capacity”.
About 2,125 more people are expected to move to the area due to the development, and conversations are underway about tackling rising patient numbers.
Another £4.6m is requested by Nottinghamshire County Council to support road infrastructure, public transport, libraries, waste management and education, among other services.
This will help provide a travel plan for the area and improve road junctions around the busy MARR route, with two new junctions created to access the development.
A spokesperson for Hellier told councillors the company expects work to begin on the MARR access routes next year.
The meeting also heard from Tony Egginton, the district’s former executive mayor, who spoke in favour of the plans.
He told councillors: “The MARR route is and was said to be a regeneration route, not a ring road or a relief road.
“The funding of which took place in 2001 or 2002, with £35m of Government money provided to regenerate Mansfield and Ashfield. This included [money for] homes and jobs. The Government of the day pledged the money to provide regeneration opportunities.”
Prior to the decision, some councillors raised concerns about the scale of the development.
Councillor Martin Wright (Mans Ind), who represents Holly ward, said: “It was always going to have housing built on it, or employment land. I fear, as a committee, we’re really bound to approve this.
“There are no statutory consultees objecting to anything and, again, the MARR is just that, it’s for situations like this. So, although it’s with a heavy heart, I’ll have to support it.”
Councillors approved the plans by seven votes to one, with one councillor abstaining.
The developer will now bring more detailed planning applications forward for the site, with councillors only giving outline approval. Monday’s decision grants permission for the scale of the development and access proposals, with more reserved matters applications needed to detail other elements of the plans.