New homes on the grounds of a Grade-II listed Nottinghamshire hall can finally go ahead after developers agreed to significant financial contributions.
The scheme will bring 12 apartments and eight detached homes to the hall’s gardens.
Mansfield District Council approved the development, on land at Berry Hill Hall, Mansfield looking over the popular Berry Hill Park, in July last year.
However, the official planning consent was only granted this month (December 14) after the Section 106 developer agreement was signed.
This sets out the terms of the plans and confirms how much the developer, Blackthorn (Midlands) Ltd, will contribute to improving the local area.
New papers reveal £100,000 will be given to Mansfield District Council towards the provision of affordable housing across the district.
A further £22,000 will be used by the authority to improve facilities and infrastructure at Berry Hill Park.
Nottinghamshire County Council will also be given £8,500 towards the improvements to the nearby care home’s bus stop on Berry Hill Lane.
And the authority will be given £71,625 towards “improving, remodelling, enhancing or expanding” local secondary education provision.
It means the developers will contribute £202,125 to improving the area to get the scheme over the line.
It follows concerns raised by local residents last year before the plans were given approval by councillors.
More than 1,000 people signed an online petition calling for the development to be stopped.
Concerns included the impact on the listed building, the loss of a heritage asset and fears of “over-development” on the site.
However, the authority’s planning committee decided the plans were more suitable than previous proposals put forward on the same land.
A separate planning permission, which stood valid on the site prior to the July 2021 decision, had given approval for more than 70 apartments.
This would have been across a four or a five-story building on the hall’s grounds.
However, in the 2021 meeting, councillors said the reduced plans were more likely to protect the historic site.
Councillor Andy Wetton (Lab), who represents Meden, said last year: “The planning permission granted years ago would be totally abhorrent now.
“This application would appear to be a very good solution.
“I think the fact that conservation officers, heritage officers and everyone else have done work on this to get to this stage is quite refreshing.”
Other councillors described the earlier plans as “quite overbearing” and said the current proposals would “ensure the hall is the dominant feature”.
“For me, that’s enough to be able to support it,” Cllr Craig Whitby (Lab), now cabinet member for corporate and finance, added in the 2021 meeting.
The apartments will be spread across two blocks and will consist of 11 two-bedroom flats and a single one-bedroom property.
Each apartment will be allocated one parking space.
The eight separate houses include five 2.5-storey detached homes, two detached two-storey houses and one detached dormer bungalow.
Properties will be based on either side of the gardens of the historic hall, and the land will then be improved by developers before it is opened to the public.
