Permission granted again for 169 homes at estate
PLANS REVIEWED AFTER HOUSING PLAN ADOPTION
A 169-home extension to Mansfield’s Bellamy Road estate will still go ahead after councillors reapproved its planning consent.
The development, in Redruth Drive and Old Newark Road, was given initial ‘outline’ planning permission by Mansfield District Council in May 2020.
This decision gave consent for a mix of two, three and four-bedroom homes and apartments. But the authority’s adoption of its housing plan four months later meant there had been a “material change in circumstances” following its initial approval.
It was discussed again during the council’s planning committee on Monday, when councillors again gave it the green light.
Reports published ahead of the meeting revealed extra cash was requested from developer O’connell Property to mitigate the effects of the plans. This includes more than ten times more cash for strategic highway improvements, with an earlier request of £25,000 increased to £253,162. The developer is also being asked to provide £840,128 for secondary education, £90,322 for special education and 17 homes must be ‘affordable.’
And there will be £57,400 for bus stop improvements, £10,324 for waste management and £91,576 for healthcare provision. Further cash requests for a public open space are expected later. The development’s re-approval comes after the initial application, approved two-and-ahalf years ago, was met with a 107-name petition. The petition, which joined 14 objection letters on the council’s planning portal, raised concerns about traffic on Bellamy Road and residents’ privacy.
Residents said at the time the plans would have a “detrimental impact” on their area without an alternative access point. They called for a secondary access road to be built off the nearby Sherwood Oaks Business Park, where other homes had been approved.
But councillors opted against these calls and the second access point will instead be off Bellamy Road, utilising a currently-over-grown footpath. In the meeting on Monday, the authority’s planning officers said the plans needed another review due to the September 2020 local plan adoption.
They said the development was assessed on previous planning policies and re-granting permission would give the consent more legal weight. A council planning spokesperson said: “To ensure the [2020] decision is robust, officers are bringing this application back for members to consider.
“In terms of change of circumstances, we have re-consulted consultees as necessary. The main thing to highlight is that the county council was seeking both primary and secondary education contributions.
“Now, no primary school contributions are required. In terms of affordable housing provision, that is the same at 10 per cent. There isn’t really anything else much to update.”
But Councillor Rob Elliman (Conservative), who represents Oakham, said: “I’m a little bit confused as to why this has to come back if it’s because of the adoption of the new local plan. Does that not mean everything has to come back that hasn’t been built?”
Martin Saxton, head of planning and regeneration added: “It’s just anything of significance.”