Neighbours have said a potential housing boom risks becoming "too much" for their village. Residents of Rainworth, near Mansfield, have shared their concerns over the expanding village, with some claiming it does not have the infrastructure for the hundreds of homes that could be built.
Two major developments on Blidworth Lane and Rufford Colliery Lane, where 200 and 95 homes could be built respectively, are currently in the planning process, with the separate proposals put forward to Mansfield District Council and Newark and Sherwood District Council. Worries over the strain on local services and the village deemed 'not big enough' were previously voiced by local residents.
And villagers living near to the proposed developments have now shared further concerns, with one saying it felt like Rainworth had grown by a third since she had lived there. Chris Peet, 70, who is retired and moved to the village in 1979, said: "The building is getting too much. I have lived here for 43 years and it is now at least a third bigger than it was.
Read more: Nottinghamshire village where house prices have taken a big jump
"We have already had homes built near the Archer's pub and near the allotments. To add another 300 would be too much for the village.
"The schools are full and even local children are not able to get into them sometimes. Even if they can see the school from their windows at home. There's nothing for children to do here either.
"It is a relatively quiet village and it is a nice place to live. The new homes already built don't fit in and they're so expensive - I bought my house for £12,000."
Albert Anstee, 84, who is retired and has lived in the village for more than 50 years, said: "It is not as good as it used to be. You've got a lot of new people coming in, and the old homes are better than the new ones - I bought mine for £3,800.
"There are two health centres here and there is a Tesco's and some other shops in a row. I don't know if it will put a strain on the area.
"It's still a good place to live, I moved back here after going to Leicester and then East Germany. But I would say 300 is a lot for the village."
Rainworth ranked third in a list of the top 10 villages in Britain where asking prices for homes grew the most last year. From June 2020 to June 2021, Rightmove data showed the average house price increased from £165,080 to £195,919, an increase of 19 percent.
Claudio Palagano, 64, who lives in Rainworth, said people had concerns about traffic and fields in the village. "There are concerns with the amount of traffic that would come from the new houses on the roads around here," Mr Palagano said.
"People do say that it's because people living in the city during Covid wanted to move after lockdowns, to somewhere more rural. You can just walk into the countryside if you live here but then these houses are being built on green field.
"I've lived here for six years, it is a quite place. We have never had any trouble. We have a few amenities and the people are friendly. But with new people coming it would be nice to have more things in the centre."
