A plan for more than 100 new homes was rejected over fears it would damage the highway network and character of a Nottinghamshire area. A large section of land at Stubbin Hill Farm off Brand Lane, Sutton in Ashfield could have been turned into 141 homes if Ashfield District Council approved the plan, but the authority found significant flaws in the proposal.
The council found the construction of the housing estate would result in "significant harm to the character and appearance through the visual impact of the built form on green fields", with the site currently comprising 6.22 hectares of farmland and a central cluster of farm buildings. The second main issue highlighted by the local authority was that the highway network was "incapable" of coping with increased traffic without significant improvements.
Nottinghamshire County Council, the acting highway authority, explained it would not support the "scale of development in this area without the provision of additional vehicle access points to evenly dissipate the development traffic". A representative added: "The submitted layout is basically adding onto the existing network with no future design planning or consideration of accessibility, sustainability, and integration requirements".
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A total of 87 letters of objection were received from locals, raising concerns over highway safety, there being too many houses built in the area, and the potential for environmental damage. In a planning document, applicant Manor Farm Developments had previously said: "The proposed development will seek to enhance the housing offer within the village by provision of new high quality housing in a green and attractive setting".
An outline application for 142 homes on the same site was refused in July 2021 for similar reasons relating to the potentially unacceptable impact on the nearby highway network and character of the area. An Ashfield District Council planning officer, examining the recent application in a delegated report, concluded the "adverse impacts of granting planning permission would significantly and demonstrably outweigh the benefits".
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