Inspectors set to review homes ‘masterplan’
GOVERNMENT CHOOSES TWO OFFICIALS FOR THE JOB
THE Government’s planning inspectorate will publicly examine Bassetlaw District Council’s draft housing plan setting out where 12,551 homes could be built.
The document sets out locations of planned developments until 2038 alongside policies to decide on future projects.
It also reveals where jobs can be created and what infrastructure is needed to support economic growth.
The Labour-led council submitted the plan to the Government in July and the Planning Inspectorate has now appointed two inspectors to assess it.
They will now carry out an independent review to assess the plan’s supporting evidence and review previous consultations. The council expects to adopt the document next year if the inspectors accept it.
The inspectors will hold hearings between November
29 and December 15.
They will allow the public to view how the plan is assessed and give residents the chance to speak on the plan.
Only people who have previously responded to consultations will be invited to speak. If inspectors say changes need to be made, a further consultation would be held next summer.
Events will take place at Worksop Town Hall from 9.30am between November 30 and December 2, between December 7 and 9 and between December 13 and 15. There will also be an event at Retford Town Hall from 9.30am on December 6.
Council chief executive David Armiger said: “The examination process and the public hearings are an opportunity for the inspectors to hear all sides of the debate and take an independent view.
“All councils are required to have an up-to-date Local Plan by December 2023 and this is one of the final parts of the process. The inspectors’ leadership of these hearings guarantee a comprehensive and unbiased examination process. The public is able to attend any of the sessions and can confirm their attendance in advance.”
The 243-page plan says 10,476 homes, or 582 properties per year, need to be built in Bassetlaw by 2038.
However, the authority expects the total number of homes could be as high as 12,551. It says about 2,719 homes will be built on the outskirts of Worksop, with 725 in central Worksop.
This will be met through 1,114 homes in previously approved applications and 360 homes completed between April 2020 and March this year. A further 1,970 homes are allocated for Worksop, including 1,080 at Peaks Hill Farm and 20 at the former Bassetlaw Pupil Referral Centre.
Other Worksop allocations include 120 homes on Radford Street, 100 on the former Manton Primary School and 15 on Talbot Road.
A further 2,272 homes are planned in Retford, including 715 from existing permissions and 225 completed homes.
The authority has outlined 1,332 further homes through allocated sites across Retford, including 305 homes at Trinity Farm and 890 in Ordsall South.
A further five are planned in Milnercroft, with 46 on the former Elizabethan School, 20 in St Michael’s View, 61 in Fairy Grove and five on Station Road.
Harworth and Bircotes will take 2,199 homes, though no new allocations have been made due to 2,006 existing homes committed in the area. This includes about 1,300 homes allocated on the Harworth Colliery Site, with at least 1,133 properties deliverable by 2038.
There are also 1,063 homes with existing permission in large rural settlements, with a further 1,053 in smaller rural settlements.
And 736 homes have already been completed in both large and small rural developments since April 2020.
The authority hopes Bassetlaw will be a “vibrant, prosperous place” which provides residents with a “high quality of life” when the plan period ends.
The public is able to attend any of the sessions
David Armiger, council chief executive