By Anna Whittaker, Local Democracy Reporter
Plans for 56 new homes in Southwell have been turned down after residents objected over parking, traffic and flooding.
Redrow Homes submitted an application to turn land at High Gables, Lower Kirklington Road into a new build development.
The plans proposed the demolition of High Gables to create an access road to the site, which stretches over seven acres of fields.
Previous applications for 80 homes on the site in 2019 were refused, and another plan for 64 homes on the site was withdrawn in 2022.
Now, Newark and Sherwood District Council (NSDC) has turned down the recent application as the developer “fails to demonstrate that the proposed new access would be safe, convenient and attractive”.
Redrow said it is “dedicated to designing and building homes with character that people are proud to live in” – but NSDC said the proposals have a “poor design and layout”.
Residents said that nearby roads are already busy and could not cope with extra traffic. Concerns were also raised over the flooding risk.
Resident Michael Clark wrote: “The access road to the proposed development is directly behind our garden. This will lead to a loss of privacy, and a significant increase in noise.
“The documents indicate that this will involve around 315 vehicle movements per day, along with foot traffic along this access road.
“On a personal level, the proposed development will greatly affect the quality of life in my home, decreasing the level of privacy and increasing the pressure on the services in Southwell without any significant mitigation or improvements planned.”
Southwell Town Council also objected, raising concerns over the “regimented” layout of the homes, as well as flooding and traffic.
NSDC documents stated: “No acceptable speed-reducing measures have been submitted. Furthermore, the application has failed to demonstrate that the general layout within the development can operate safely and insufficient on-site parking is provided to serve the development.”
They added: “The proposed scheme shows a substantial overprovision of four plus bedroom houses and only two bungalows and therefore does not reflect the policy requirement or local housing need.”
