Approval for layout of 750 home development at Top Wighay

Gedling Borough Council.
By Lauren Monaghan, Junior Local Democracy Reporter
Plans for the layout of an estate of 750 homes close to Nottinghamshire County Council’s new headquarters in Gedling have been approved.
Gedling Borough Council’s Planning Committee met on Thursday (September 26) to discuss the development near Top Wighay.
The project is being built by the County Council in Gedling, meaning it needed permission from the borough council.
In March 2022 the initial County Council application sought 805 homes, land for employment, a local centre and a primary school.
The application approved yesterday relates to the layout, scale, landscaping and appearance of 763 homes on site.
The County Council’s new headquarters building, Oak House, is currently still being developed near the proposed home development as a seperate project.
The estate will be split into distinct neighbourhoods, with smaller homes in the north, stone material homes around the centre and larger detached “semi-rural” houses in the south to reflect Linby.
There will be a “clear hierarchy of roads” around the site, according to planning documents, with a main road from the southern access at Wighay Road and connections through the site to Annesley Road to the west.
Land has also been kept for a potential future NET tram extension.
The main central play and park area is located at the centre of the site, including a multi-use games area, skate park, 9v9 sports pitches and table tennis tables.
Councillor Sam Smith (Con) praised the skate park feature saying: “There’s teenagers across the borough crying out for skate parks, I am absolutely delighted this planning application comes with one.”
Councillor Martin Smith (Con) expressed concern about the 9v9 football pitches included in the development.
He said: “9v9 football pitches are primarily used by children in the under 9 and under 10 category, I don’t understand why we have been so restrictive on the young people who will be allowed to use these pitches for competitive games.
“Please go away and try squeeze in an 11v11 pitch, they can be marked with a 9v9 pitch in the centre of them.
“Under-9s and under-10s inevitably will grow, they’ll get older, those children will then be looking for another pitch to play on in the same location.”
Mark Avery, Director of Place said there had been previous difficulties in accommodating the original pitches, and that they were previously agreed by the committee, but noted Cllr Smith’s comments.
Sport England objected over a lack of changing rooms for the football pitches, but space south of the pitches has been identified as a potential workaround.
Cllr Martin Smith (Con) expressed his “sympathy” for Linby and Pappelwick residents with inevitable increased traffic flow for the villages.
He said: “Peak times in both of those villages is horrendous and there is nothing I see in this scheme that mitigates against that, all I can see is the situation gets worse.”
The development includes two play areas, along with pedestrian and cycle routes being provided by a green ‘spine’ through the middle of the site.
For affordable rent homes, there will be four one-beds, 38 two-beds, 29 three-beds, eight four-beds and two five-beds. There will be various wheelchair-adapted bungalows.
The Linden Homes phase comprises of 288 homes, accessible from the road leading beyond the County Council’s new office development.
The Bovis Homes phase contains 158 homes with a play area and Countryside Partnerships, across two phases, holds 317 homes.
A primary school, delivered by the County Council, will be built in a later phase.
Homes across the site would range from one-bed to five-bed houses.
The committee voted in favour of passing the development. Further applications will be needed at a later stage to decide individual details of each phase of the development.