A Nottinghamshire man raised safety concerns as the greenlight was given to build a 250-home estate around his property. A total of 250 homes will be built on land off Shilo Way in Awsworth, after councillors followed a recommendation to approve the plan at Broxtowe Borough Council's planning committee on March 8.
The reserved matters application was first brought before the planning committee on February 1, but despite a recommendation to grant permission members deferred the decision. This was to seek amended plans that would reduce the impact on the occupier of a property referred to as 'The View', which will sit as an enclave within the housing development, surrounded by the new houses.
In response to the issues discussed at the previous committee, applicant Avant Homes amended the plans to create a larger separation between the back of new properties and The View. But Greg Stackhouse, who lives in the property which will be in the middle of the housing estate, still had concerns as he spoke before the planning committee.
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"We're not just affected by the development being behind our home, but on all four sides. I also made a comment last time regarding notification about the development as a whole, for the first part I was not consulted from the offset as I was believed to be only a tenant, therefore letters regarding the outline planning and meetings were sent to the previous owner," Mr Stackhouse said.
"Since my last meeting I have been visited by Avant Homes. I was shown that the housing had changed and that some plots had been moved further away, which is of course of benefit to us.
"But the representative for Avant then stated that they intended to raise the ground level on the elevation to the north by as much as two metres. Having carried out a survey, the current ground about 35m away from my property stands at 200m, therefore I cannot see why they feel this is required."
He added: "There are no formal arrangements in place between ourselves and Avant Homes regarding sharing access, safety for pedestrians coming to and leaving our homes.
"When the ground testing was carried out nothing was put in place at all, [I] was left with heavy plant using the lane along with ourselves and visitors. We have every right to be able to come and go from our home, whether it be in a vehicle or on foot."
Mr Stackhouse explained he would have to pay £300 extra per year to remove his septic tank and be connected to the main sewer, as a result of the housebuilding. He also said he had not been shown any risk assessment regarding his wellbeing and safety during the construction.
Councillors discussed that although construction traffic will ultimately use Shilo Way, for the first 13 months vehicles will have to access the site via Newton’s Lane until the new junction is finished. Committee members suggested a round-about should be created by Nottinghamshire County Council next to the site, as well as other measures to mitigate the impact on locals.
Councillor Don Pringle, conservative representative for Awsworth, Cossall and Trowell, said: "I would share their concerns [local residents], I'm really, really concerned about the amenity of not just [The View] but the residents in Newton's Lane.
"I remember going down Newton's Lane many years ago when it was a rat run into Ilkeston and it was like a one car track then. It hasn't changed much, so I just can't see the access going down Newton's Lane as being acceptable." Six councillors voted for the plans, with four voting against.
Called Bennerley View, the development will comprise a mix of two, three, four and five-bedroom homes and feature 15 of Avant Homes’ house types. Of the 250 homes, 20 per cent have been designated to be affordable housing.
Avant Homes will contribute £1.7m to support local education, public transport and open green space maintenance in the area as part of the project. The overall build programme is estimated to take approximately four years with the first homes set to be ready for occupation in November.
Work is set to commence on site in April, with a showhome expected to open this winter. Prices start from £169,995 for a two-bedroom mid-terrace property to £399,995 for a five-bedroom detached home.
Avant Homes Central managing director, Chris Coley, said: “Awsworth is a highly sought-after and well-connected location and Bennerley View will support meeting the need for high-quality new homes in the area. We look forward to moving our plans forward with the commencement of groundworks at the site in April.”
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