Some of the first people who have moved into a vast new housing development in a Nottinghamshire village say it has "everything you need". Residents have moved in as part of the first phase of the £4.1m Shelford Road development in Radcliffe-on-Trent, which offers a range of properties including two or three bedroom houses as well as a mix of rent and shared ownership.
The estate is being built in partnership with housebuilders William Davis with 31 properties in the first phase to be followed by a further 35 in the second. The project is Riverside’s first in the borough of Rushcliffe - but two other developments are now also underway in Keyworth and Ruddington.
The homes in Radcliffe form part of a wider plan for up to 400 new homes, a primary school and a health centre. People who live at the new estate have been speaking about what it's like. Lucy Carr, who moved into her home in December 2020, said: "We love it here. It's a nice community."
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"I know a lot of people aren't too happy about so many houses being built which I understand. Detailed plans for 86 new homes at the site were put forward last year - and, at the time, people living behind the vast site said Radcliffe-on-Trent was losing its 'village feel', describing the construction work as 'intrusive."
However, other people at the new estate described the neighbourhood as a 'welcoming and thriving community'. Liz, a 40-year-old woman from Newark, moved into her new two-bedroom semi-detached home in June last year with her Irish Setter Rusty and said it had changed her life. She said: “Getting this new house – it’s changed my life.
"It’s meant I can continue to be myself and afford to live and be my own woman without having to rely on anybody. It’s a very welcoming and thriving community because everyone is 'new' it feels like we’re all in it together.”
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A woman called Vickie, 39, can’t stop smiling having moved into a three-bedroom semi-detached house in the same development with her two children in February. Vickie said: “I absolutely love the house, I can’t stop smiling. It’s the most security I’ve ever had and I can’t believe it’s mine.
"I had been renting for 13 years before this. Rent prices are phenomenally high at the moment, meaning it’s really tough to save and it’s been difficult getting back onto the property ladder." She continued: "The kids love their new bigger bedrooms and having a big garden. We feel so settled even after only living here for a short time. The last few years has been a hard slog, but I now feel really happy."
Another resident, who wished to remain anonymous, said: "You've got everything you want here. Radcliffe-on-Trent has its own shops, bars, everything, hasn't it?
And you're not far from Nottingham or from the A46, which is good. We get along with our neighbours well, they're lovely, and everyone is in a similar boat because we're all new."
Ian Woodland, Riverside’s Regional Development Lead, said: “We are delighted to hear the excellent feedback from the new residents and how happy they are with their new homes. With the housing costs being so high in Rushcliffe generally, it’s a priority for Riverside to provide affordable homes for local families either to rent or buy through shared ownership, and it’s always heartening to hear of how the work we do genuinely changes lives for the better.
“As well as this project at Shelford Road, we are also working with William Davis on three other developments in Leicestershire and Derbyshire. The quality of the houses on all of them is superb – and the people at William Davis are some of the best we work with.”
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A separate, detailed planning application was approved last year to build 55 homes on land released from the greenbelt on neighbouring land off Shelford Road. It split public opinion at the time, with this project led by different developers.
While elsewhere in the village, people said Radcliffe was becoming like a town as plans to build 200 homes were given the go-ahead on greenbelt land next to the RSPCA Animal Centre in Nottingham Road.
