Plans for a new build development could see 117 new homes next to a Newark school.
Developer Avant Homes wants to build the homes on the north side of London Road near Newark, on land to the rear of Highfields School in Balderton.
If passed by Newark and Sherwood District Council, a number of protected trees would be felled as part of the development.
The plans received four objections, including one from resident Neil McCarthy who stated that “the sheer number of dwellings will have a negative effect on the trees and the surrounding environment which is an important wildlife haven”.
Another resident, Stephen Pearson, said the removal of protected trees is “entirely unacceptable”.
But Avant Homes state that the two, three, four and five-bedroom homes will have a “contemporary interpretation of traditional forms set within a strong green landscape of existing trees and proposed new street trees, hedges and open space”.
The land has seen a number of applications in the past, including one for 95 homes on the site, which was dismissed on appeal in 2019 due to the loss of a number of trees, 26 of which are protected by a Tree Protection Order.
Council documents for the latest plans, submitted in February 2022, state: “The school grounds are characterised by a large number of mature trees, a number of which are subject to a Tree Preservation Order.
“Some trees will be removed to facilitate the access road but wherever possible existing trees have been retained and create an attractive approach to the site.”
DLP Planning, on behalf of Avant Homes, wrote that the council confirmed that the loss of trees should be “compensated for adequately”.
Part of the land was once used as a sports field for the school.
Sport England also stated that it needs to be satisfied “that the benefits to the school would outweigh the loss of playing field”.
Overall the developer said the application is “sensitive to the requirements of both the school and established neighbouring residential to assimilate well”.
The plans will now be decided on by the local authority.
