Neighbours are worried a narrow Nottinghamshire street is not suitable for a 'sneaky' new housing development. A section of overgrown land at the end of Grange View Road, in Gedling, will be transformed into 24 homes, if councillors approve plans at Gedling Borough Council's planning committee on January 11.
It would include a range of two, three, four and five bedroom properties, which would all be two or two and a half storeys in scale. All of the dwellings would be detached, apart from a pair of semi-detached properties.
People were broadly opposed to the new development, which councillors have been advised to approve. Mike Scully, 51, an IT manager who has lived on Grange View Road for more than 10 years, said: "As long as it is limited that is okay. The small roads are the access problem, they're not suitable and aren't built for it.
"There needs to be houses but I would question whether all this housing is being well planned out. It all feels very sneaky and piecemeal, which doesn't help infrastructure."
Five of the properties are identified as being affordable - including three first buy homes and two for affordable rent, which would be a mixture of two and three-bed properties. Leanne Carden, 43, who works in ecommerce and lives on Grange View Road, said: "The traffic that will end up going up the street is my main concern.
"I let my children play in the cul-de-sac, so I wouldn't want more through traffic, and people frequently drive into the bridge every month. I'm not opposed to building houses but people feel like it will have a negative effect on people already living here - but people probably thought the same before our homes were built."
Another resident, who did not want to be named, added: "No one on this street wants these houses to be built. There's not the infrastructure to support more houses here.
"We fought it for years but I'm not holding out hope that the councillors will turn it down. The impact it will have on the wildlife and traffic is not acceptable - there needs to be a balance which allows for more for homes but I don't think this is the right place."
One letter of support and 20 letters of objection were received by Gedling Borough Council regarding the plans. Some letters of objection raised that the site should be accessed from the GAR, however this would cross land within the Green Belt and fall outside of the residential allocation.
Gedling Borough Council planning officers said the low bridge at Jessops Lane, which was cited by locals as an issue, is a known restriction that would have to be taken into account by developers during construction. In a planning document, Nelson Sale & Widdows LLP, on behalf of applicant WFW Developments Limited, said: "The timing of this application coincides with the completion of the Gedling Access Road(GAR) which is due for completion Spring 2022. This facilitates the release of this site for housing. The site has been identified in the Local Development Plan and is a sustainable site."
The planning committee's report notes Nottinghamshire County Council has requested £15,500 toward the enhancement of a bus stop, with the highway authority advising speed restrictions would improve the bend into the site. Nottingham University Hospital has sought a contribution of £29,412.47 towards their services to deal with the new patients.
The Local Education Authority (LEA) said there are adequate spaces for the projected increase in demand for primary education. They did however request a contribution of £131,270, broken down as a secondary education contribution of £105,016 and a post 16 education contribution of £26,254.
A report submitted ahead of the planning committee on January 11, which recommended councillors approve the development, said: "The layout, scale and appearance of the development as proposed would respect the character of the area and residential amenity.
"The impact on the highway network would be acceptable and adequate parking would be provided. Affordable housing provision would be acceptable and the other planning obligations sought directly relate to the development in question."
Back in 2019, plans for 110 homes on the wider Willow Farm site were greeted with concerns from local residents, with campaign group the Willow Farm Action Group having spoken out over the project.
Read next:
Forecaster’s snow predictions for Nottinghamshire as temperatures drop
I'm A Celeb's Jill Scott hasn't heard from jungle pal once amid rift rumours
Vicky McClure opens up about filming new ITV drama in Nottingham
Martin Lewis warning over keeping heating on as temperatures plummet
Catch up with the latest property news from Nottinghamshire Live
