There are indications that a large housing development on the border of Ashfield and Mansfield could be taking a step forward after almost five years.
Arc Partnership’s outline plans, submitted on behalf of Nottinghamshire County Council, for up to 235 homes to be built on land at Rushley Farm, south of Cauldwell Road, Mansfield, were first submitted in 2021, but no final decision has been made.
The patch of land, which is owned by the county council, sits just below West Notts College, Derby Road Campus, and the NTU Mansfield University Centre, and technically comes under two authorities.
Most of the development land falls under Ashfield District Council, but around 10 per cent comes under Mansfield District Council. Both authorities’ planning committees approved the development in 2023.
Despite both district councils approving the scheme at committee stage, all three authorities, including the county council, have to sign off on the Section 106 agreement, a document detailing developer financial contributions to the local community, but negotiations have been ongoing for several years.
Now, the years-old scheme appears to be nearing a resolution, with Ashfield District Council formally approving the Section 106 agreement last week (10 June). The Section 106 agreement is still formally pending with Mansfield District Council.
If the Section 106 agreement is approved by all three authorities, around £800,000 must be provided to offset the potential impact of the housing plans, including £127,340.63 to support existing healthcare infrastructure and £83,728 towards special educational needs provision.
A further £14,356.03 would go towards a new recycling facility in Mansfield, as well as £1,498 per home towards road improvements, totalling £352,000.
Ashfield District Councillor Matthew Relf (Ind) said: “I certainly think things need to be looked at at the Cauldwell Road and Nottingham Road junction.
“At peak times, that will result in a lot of people being stuck on Cauldwell Road, unable to get out of the new estate. It needs to be looked at by the highways department at the county council.
“It’s a fairly straightforward development. Certainly, with the government pushing for such large housing numbers, it has been a challenge for us. Sites like this aren’t particularly controversial, so it’s welcome in that sense.
“But we’re not really that enamoured with paving over fields at the government’s behest in order to build so many houses.”
Mansfield District Councillor Anne Callaghan, portfolio holder for housing, said: “The proposal is for a cross-boundary application, with Ashfield District Council being the primary determining authority. Around 10 per cent of the site is within the Mansfield district.
“The application was granted by the planning committee in 2023, with negotiations on the final Section 106 legal agreement ongoing since then. Matters relating to the site layout, size and design of the homes, and landscaping will be decided at a later stage.”
The homes would connect with the existing residential area of Berry Hill, Mansfield, and the Lindhurst Mansfield development to the west.
Original documents propose a four-year construction period, during which 20 homes would be built in the first year, along with access infrastructure, with up to 140 homes built in years two and three, and the remaining 72 homes built in year four.
By Lauren Monaghan, Local Democracy Reporter