By Andrew Topping, Local Democracy Reporter
More than 200 new homes could be built on a field close to West Nottinghamshire College on the Mansfield and Ashfield border.
Ashfield District Council’s planning committee will meet on Wednesday (March 22) to discuss the plans, which have been lodged by the county council.
The Conservative-led authority wants to build 235 homes on a field to the south of Cauldwell Road, at Rushley Farm.
The council owns the land and is working with its developer Arc Partnership to create the properties through Homes England Government funding.
The plans were lodged to the Ashfield Independent-led district council in 2021 and now the scheme is recommended for the go-ahead.
Documents reveal more than £800,000 must be provided to offset the potential impact of the plans.
This includes £127,340.63 to support existing healthcare infrastructure and £83,728 towards special educational needs provision.
A further £14,356.03 must be provided towards a new recycling facility in Mansfield as well as £1,498 per home towards road improvements, totalling £352,000.
A further £1,000 per home must be provided towards off-space and recreational facilities in Ashfield, totalling £235,000.
The scheme is likely to be approved by the district council next week permitting this financial contribution scheme is agreed to.
No detailed proposals for the development have been lodged by the authority, with details of layout, scale, appearance, access and landscaping to be decided at a later date.
However, early drawings for the plans suggest the scheme could be accessed via two entry points on either side of the opposite entrance to the college.
Three letters of objection have been submitted to the plans with concerns relating to highways, local services, sustainability, wildlife and green space.
Concerns mention a “huge increase” in traffic along Derby Road and the nearby Mansfield and Ashfield Regeneration Route (MARR).
Other issues include problems with the development not being “sustainable”, requests for homes on brownfield sites rather than fields and a “detrimental wildlife impact”.
However, in planning papers, the district council’s planning department said: “None of the reasons put forward for opposing the
development establishes that the harm would be significant or would demonstrably outweigh the benefits.”
And Councillor Keith Girling (Con), the county council’s cabinet member for economic development, previously said the site will be able to cope with extra traffic.
He said in 2021: “We own land at Cauldwell Road, to the south of West Nottinghamshire College.
“We’ve submitted a planning application for this site, working with financial support from Homes England. The proposals, if approved, would mean more than 200 much-needed new homes.
“There is a housing shortfall in Ashfield, with figures showing the district will be short of more than 5,000 homes between 2020 and 2037, unless action is taken.
“An independent Transport Assessment was carried out to look at the potential impact on traffic congestion, which showed traffic from the site can be accommodated through the proposals.
“This will be considered further through the planning process. The A60/Cauldwell Road junction is in line for an upgrade, with the assessment showing a limited impact on Derby Road.”
