Warning Nottinghamshire housebuyers could be stranded by 'inappropriate location' of homes

A developer has been warned its 'disconnected' housing plan could increase road accidents and strand housebuyers without cars. Plans have been submitted to Ashfield District Council to build up to 90 houses at Radfords Farm on the very edge of Sutton-in-Ashfield.

The proposals to turn the 4.4 hectares of farmland into housing have been brought forward by GMJ Ventures Ltd, whose architects say it is an accessible and suitable location for a new development. However, Nottinghamshire County Council's highways department has slammed the designs as "unacceptable".

A highways officer, who was consulted on the fresh housing plans for the rural patch of land, said the distance between the new estate and public transport, as well as the lack of walking and cycle routes, would contribute to traffic and possibly increase road accidents. "The disconnection from the urban areas will create a significant reliance on vehicular movements which will lead to the likelihood of more road traffic collisions/injuries and capacity issues on the local and wider highway network around the site," they said.

Developer GMJ Ventures wants to use an existing access onto Dawgates Lane, with improvements, to serve the housing estate. The county council representative said nearby highway infrastructure was "substandard" and that proposed works along Dawgates Lane would fail to make the route to Skegby acceptable.

The walking distance for pedestrians to the nearest bus stop to the site is more than 700m, according to submitted designs, but the normal requirement is that all parts of the site should be within a 400m of bus stops.

The site is bounded to the south by a public right of way on Woodhouse Lane, but under current plans there would be no footway to allow new residents to walk to facilities down Pleasley Road. The council also raised concerns that the area's "inappropriate location" meant there were places were two cars could not pass each other, and were not suitable for cyclists.

Formally objecting to the plans, the county council official added: "Having regard to the above, the highway authority objects to the planning application on the grounds that the site is not sustainably located, safe means of access has not been demonstrated, and the proposed development would give rise to unacceptable impacts on highway, pedestrian and cycle safety and adverse impacts on free flow and capacity on the local highway network."

A set of modern, large agricultural buildings would need to be knocked down to make way for the planned houses. Architects Planning Insight, who put together planning documents for applicant GMJ Ventures, said: "The planning statement demonstrates the proposed development would make a significant contribution towards housing delivery in an accessible and suitable location and contribute towards the economic, social, and environmental objectives of sustainable development.

"The technical reports demonstrate that there are no adverse impacts of the development, including landscape, biodiversity, arboriculture,access, and flood risk." The application is pending consideration by Ashfield District Council.