Derbyshire villagers prepare to fight against housing scheme for 1,000 homes
Brimington Parish Council has hosted a public meeting over the proposed massive housing scheme
Worried villagers descended upon a council meeting with growing fears about increased traffic, over-stretched services and the loss of greenfield land after learning about a controversial Derbyshire housing scheme for up to 1,000 homes.
Brimington Parish Council hosted the public meeting on Tuesday, September 8, at Brimington Community Centre, which attracted over 150 people to air their views and get an update on Hallam Land’s proposed massive housing scheme to the east of Manor Road, in Brimington, Chesterfield.
Residents concerned about the scheme have raised objections while the applicant has been told it must provide an Environmental Statement with any future planning application for planning authority Chesterfield Borough Council to first consider the proposal’s potential impact on housing growth, urbanisation, traffic impacts and air quality.
Chesterfield Borough Council Leader Tricia Gilby, who oversees the Brimington South ward, told the meeting: “I’m going to be watching this every bit of the way and I have been listening very carefully to what you have said and I am going to make sure all the views expressed tonight are followed up.”
Hallam Land, which has not yet submitted a planning application, hopes to build around 1,000 homes with plans for a new primary school and a ‘mixed use local centre’ as part of the scheme on 61 hectares of agricultural land near a conservation area, woodland, the Grade 2 listed Ringwood Hall and the Grade 2 listed Manor House, Gates and Memorial Gates.
But Chesterfield Borough Council has insisted the applicant provides an Environmental Statement due to the scheme’s ‘likely significant effects’ including the potential cumulative impacts of housing growth, substantial urbanisation, wider traffic impacts and air quality implications.
A borough council spokesperson has stated: “This is a large-scale development that will impact on the character of the local area in a significant way, much of those impacts will largely be localised for example in terms of the urbanisation of the area and landscape and visual impacts as well as air quality.
“However, there may be impacts that extend into a wider area, in particular in terms of traffic and transport.
“In terms of the characteristics of the development the significant effects are considered to be in the urbanisation of the area, the cumulative impacts, the impacts on air quality given the scale of the development and the likely traffic impacts of the development.”
Residents’ objections so far include overcrowding, increased traffic, congestion for an ambulance route to Chesterfield Royal Hospital and on nearby M1 motorway junctions, limited public transport, and the strain on the area’s limited infrastructure including facilities and services.
Other concerns include groundwater contamination and fears for the nearby Westwood woodland, as well as the loss of greenspace and wildlife, flooding worries, and the loss of a strategic gap between different areas, and that brownfield sites should be used first for any housing plans.
In a formal submission to the borough council, one resident stated: “Granting permission for such a large scale development – which would mean an estimated additional 2,000 vehicle movements per day using Manor Road – would be an act of crass irresponsibility.”
The resident added: “Should this application receive approval, it would show a callous disregard by the authorities for the countryside they claim to cherish, especially when decades-old brownfield sites such as the massive Staveley Works site, Robinson’s to the south side of Chatsworth Road and Chesterfield town centre itself remain untouched. It would also demonstrate their contempt for and disrespect for the residents of Manor Road.”
Derbyshire County Cllr Richard Smith, who represents Brimington, has launched a petition opposing the proposed scheme which has attracted over 500 signatures.
He told the meeting: “The impact on local traffic will be significant. I am already working closely with our highways at Derbyshire County Council in regards to the traffic implications not just from vehicles generated by new residents but also from the construction traffic.”
Cllr Smith argued Brimington already has high pollution levels and a thousand new homes on a greenfield site will make the situation worse. He also raised concerns about potential flooding claiming the site is on a floodplain with underground springs.
Tania, from Twelvetrees Cattery, who fears for her home, business and the area’s wildlife, is convinced houses backing onto the proposed site will end up with waterlogged gardens if the scheme goes ahead.
She said: “I have already got notable land movement so what will this do to everybody’s houses and gardens? It could be catastrophic.”
Residents told the meeting there is already too much traffic in the area and they argued the scheme would place a strain on already overstretched medical services and Chesterfield Royal Hospital.
Some raised concerns that the long-awaited Chesterfield to Staveley bypass scheme, which would help alleviate the area’s traffic backlogs, remains in doubt as the Government has still not confirmed funding for the project.
Agent Nineteen47, representing Hallam Land, had claimed the proposed development is not considered to result in significant environmental effects but the borough council has stipulated an Environmental Statement will be required with any planning application.
A borough council spokesperson stated: “The local planning authority considers that the potential cumulative impacts of housing growth in the wider area, the substantial urbanisation of the area, the wider traffic impacts and air quality in the local area will overall result in significant environmental impacts.”
Nineteen47 has argued the site is located within a Flood Zone 1 on the Environment Agency Flood Map and it claims this means there is less than a one in 1,000 annual probability of flooding.
It also claims there are no designated heritage assets within or immediately adjacent to the proposed site with Ringwood Hall located about 0.4km to the north east-most boundary of the site.
Nineteen47 claims the site is accessible and near services and facilities including medical practices, a pharmacy, a library, post office, several convenience stores and pubs and several nursery and primary schools with the nearest secondary school in Middlecroft to the east of the rite, or in Chesterfield to the west.
It is also anticipated that there will be 30.19hectares of public open space with a buffer to the woodland, drainage attenuation, landscaping, and two vehicle access points from Manor Road in the proposed site layout, according to Nineteen47.
Nineteen47 stated the applicant will seek measures to mitigate the development impact on highways and it would welcome the opportunity to review any indicative schemes that Derbyshire County Council’s highways authority may have already developed.
A full Transport Assessment and Travel Plan will be prepared, according to Nineteen47, as part of the outline planning application to understand the transport impact and to encourage sustainable travel.
The applicant’s agent explained that a full assessment will be undertaken with habitats created to compensate for losses and to provide gains and to determine whether a 10per cent net gain is achievable.
Nineteen47 stated other reports will be included in any application relating to ecology, flood risk and drainage, acoustics, air quality and a site investigation.
The Environment Agency has not requested that drainage and flooding matters are scoped into the Environment Statement, so comments regarding any flooding issues will be considered through the application process.
Derbyshire County Council’s highways authority will also review the Transport Assessment in detail with any future planning application.
Former Chesterfield Borough Council Leader John Burrows, who chaired the meeting, revealed plans are under way for residents to join an action group and he urged those with concerns to submit comments as soon as any public consultation into the scheme has been announced.
Mr Burrows also explained opposition to the scheme will be difficult due to the Government’s drive to build properties after it has pledged to build 1.5 million homes in England by 2029 to address an acute housing shortage.