By Andrew Topping, Local Democracy Reporter
A councillor has raised concerns over a potential 230-home development in his area and the impact it could have when coupled with another major future housing plan.
Marrons Planning has submitted the housing plan in Beck Lane, Skegby, close to where a further 322 homes will be built on nearby farmland.
The area has been subject to significant controversy after the 322-home development was initially refused by Ashfield District Council planners in 2018 – only for the decision to be overturned by Government inspectors.
Previous concerns were raised about the impact on infrastructure in Skegby, particularly around Beck Lane, with fears the road network, doctors and schools won’t be able to cope with hundreds more homes.
Now the same concerns have been relayed again after the separate plans mean the total number of new homes in Beck Lane could exceed 550.
The new land itself, next to Ashland Farm, has been earmarked for housing in Ashfield District Council’s draft local plan, which is expected to be submitted to the Government and in force by December next year.
Last week, Marrons Planning submitted an environmental assessment to the Ashfield Independent-led council and is asking the authority to provide a planning opinion before it brings further documents forward.
No concrete proposals for house numbers, design or layout are yet to be proposed by the developer at this stage.
The company’s early plans have led to concern from Councillor Will Bostock (Ash Ind), ward member for Skegby, who said his political group would call the development in for review by the planning committee.
He told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “I have huge concerns about the number of potential developments in the gridlocked Beck Lane area.
“We will be calling this application in for further scrutiny by the Ashfield’s Planning Committee as our infrastructure is struggling to cope as it is.”
He added that he wants to see money put in to fund “extra school places, public transport investments or fixing Skegby’s broken roads and pavements”.
It comes after Nottinghamshire County Council confirmed plans last month to sell off around 11.5 acres of surplus land in Beck Lane.
A “preferred party” had been found for the land, considered by the Conservative-led authority to have “development potential”, in a deal worth at least £1m but believed to be higher.
Matt Neal, the council’s service director for investment and growth, said: “The council is committed to working towards the healthy, prosperous and greener future that all our communities deserve, as outlined in our Nottinghamshire Plan.
“This includes getting new homes built in our county, and the council has developed a land sales programme for residential developments to help achieve this.
“The land at Beck Lane is vacant, surplus to council requirements and has the potential to provide new homes for residents.
“Any potential purchaser of the land would still need to go through a proper planning process, which would consider every point of view before coming to a decision.”
In its papers submitted to Ashfield District Council, Marrons Planning outlined some details of its plans.
“The proposals will seek to retain key landscape elements in order to help assimilate the proposals into the wider [area],” the company said.
“This will include the provision of landscaping that works with the development and breaks up views of it, including from Beck Lane/Abbott Road and from agricultural land to the east.
“[It also includes] the retention of hedgerows and hedgerow trees wherever possible [and] the retention of the existing farm building and the immediately surrounding area, including existing vegetation.”
The company added the development would be accessed through two access points on Beck Lane.
And it confirmed it will submit a travel plan and assessments of transport, flood risk, drainage, ecology, heritage, arboricultural impact, coal risk, acoustics and health at a later date.
