Villagers have been left divided after plans to create a new 4,000-home garden in village in Nottinghamshire were shelved. The Bassetlaw Garden Village development would have led to thousands of people eventually moving to the develop close to Ranby, near Retford.
But the plug was pulled after a key landowner pulled out days before an initial submission date of March 11, Lincolnshire Live reports. Bassetlaw District Council will resubmit a renewed version of its local plan, which will completely omit the 4,000-home village, by the end of April.
A public consultation will then last until June, when the plan will be sent to a government inspectorate. The development would have been situated next to the A1/A157, and residents of Ranby previously said they feared it would 'eat up' their scenic village.
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Resident Sarah Emblen, 56, said it was a "disappointment" to hear it wasn't going ahead, but stressed the importance of the correct infrastructure being built. She said: "I think, in a way, that it's a disappointment.
"It probably would've increased jobs around here, which we need. And obviously, the houses have got to be built somewhere.
"We need affordable housing and council housing. £200,000 homes are not affordable for the people around here.
"I guess that one positive would be that there'll be less traffic, but the garden village would have been a good thing really. As long as they made sure all the infrastructure - the schools, shops, doctors and dentists - was there."
She added: "It would have to be a full village in its own right and have everything people need. People can't be relying on Retford and they can't be relying on Worksop.
"I know they wanted to build a new primary school - but what happens after the kids turn 11?" Members of Bassetlaw District Council said that, while they were disappointed at the "unusual" turn of events, there was hope that another site would be selected and the plans could still be brought to fruition.
Ms Emblen added that she approved of the council's aims, but again stressed the importance of making sure the infrastructure was there. She said: "It has to go somewhere, but they've got it to make sure it doesn't have a knock-on effect on other villages and towns.
"Retford is only getting bigger." Though the 4,000 homes will no longer be included in the renewed plan, the housing numbers for Retford, including the controversial 800-home development in Ordsall, will still be put forward for approval.
One resident, who did not wish to be named, said it was "brilliant" the plans had been scrapped. She said that she doubted how self-sustainable the village would have been.
She said: "I'm self-sufficient, living in my house. But I still leave it to go shopping and to go to restaurants, just as people living there would leave the village and fill up the roads.
"It's brilliant news that it's not going ahead." A business owner, who similarly did not wish to be named, said the news had left her in two minds. From a business perspective, it would be a significant downside to lose out on potentially 4,000 new customers. She said: "It's a definite loss, and that won't be felt by just me.
"But I have a kid still going to school, so I do see it as a positive that he'll have a better chance of getting a place in a school." Another said he thought the news was "generally welcomed" by residents and that there was a sense of relief in the village.
However, he said he would remain wary and thought it was only a matter of time until the plans were submitted elsewhere. But not everyone seemed so invested.
While some residents have been left unsure of how the garden village would have impacted Ranby, many others had been completely unaware of its development. One resident said she had not heard of the plans until we asked her how she felt about them being shelved. Another said that she didn't feel that the council had done enough to make people aware.
She said: "I don't know too much about it, really. I know they're building all these new houses but it's not something I'd really heard of before. The council should make this sort of news more available."
The draft plan can be found on the council's website, and residents are encouraged to get in touch with councillors with any concerns they have.
