A business that wants to build 200 homes on farmland in Tollerton has appealed to the government after Rushcliffe Borough Council rejected its plans.
Richborough Ltd sought permission for the proposals before selling the land to developers, submitted an application for a new housing estate behind Burnside Grove in Tollerton in December 2025.
But in March, Rushcliffe planners threw out the application, primarily on the grounds that the land is within the Green Belt, where national policy says that development is “inappropriate” unless it meets certain criteria.
The development did not meet any of those criteria and did not fall within any exceptions, a document stating the reasons for the refusal said, and there was not a “demonstrable need” for the housing at the time due to Rushcliffe’s ample supply of planned new homes.
There were five other reasons for rejection listed, including that Tollerton is not one of Rushcliffe’s six key settlements – such as Bingham, Radcliffe-on-Trent, Ruddington and Keyworth – in which new housing should be prioritised.
Tollerton, instead, is identified as an “other village”, where new housing should be limited to meeting local needs – but the site, off Russell Farm Close, was not included in Rushcliffe’s plan for where homes should go in the area, called a Neighbourhood Plan.
The council’s planners added that the applicants did not adequately demonstrate that an increase in traffic would not severely impact road and pedestrian safety, or the ability of the village’s roads and junctions to cope with additional vehicles.
Nor did they adequately demonstrate that a road from Burnside Grove to the new estate via the existing Russell Farm Close could be implemented to the required standards, nor that the development would not have a “significant adverse effect” upon nearby properties due to the large amount of new vehicles likely to need to drive past them to get to the new estate.
And finally, the area on which the development is planned is described as top-quality farmland, with the proposal failing to demonstrate that its benefits “would outweigh the harm arising from the loss of best and most versatile agricultural land.”
The original application was met with more than 250 objections from residents.
Tollerton Parish Council also objected to the plans and announced on Tuesday that it would contest the appeal as far as it could.
A statement from the council said: “Your parish council has met with our planning advisers to discuss how we can make sure Tollerton’s concerns are properly heard as the appeal progresses.
“We’re looking at how best to strengthen our existing objections, update them to reflect the latest planning policy, and bring forward further independent evidence.”
The council said it would focus on the impact of the proposed development on road safety, school capacity and the character of the village, including “establishing what evidence is available” regarding whether local schools could accommodate the additional children that 200 homes might result in for the area.
The council also said it would consider commissioning an “independent highway engineer” to review data submitted by the applicant to Rushcliffe in support of the proposal, relating to traffic surveys and to the impact of both the development itself and the planned access road to the estate on local roads.
The appeal will be heard at an inquiry, with “arrangements currently being finalised” by the government’s planning officials.
By Joseph Connolly, Local Democracy Reporter
