An 80-home development in Retford has been approved after being scaled back.
Developer Keepmoat Homes has been given permission to build 80 homes off Grove Road in Retford, as part of its Fairygrove development.
The site, which is part of a conservation area and is made up of agricultural land and a former horticultural nursery, sits between the East Coast Mainline and London Road.
Bassetlaw District Council had allocated the site for 61 homes, and the increase in planned houses led to concerns from dozens of nearby residents.
The application was initially submitted for up to 95 homes, before being scaled back to 80.
Despite being scaled back, residents said the proposal “represents over-development with harmful consequences for traffic, local services, the environment, and the character of the area.”
Plans went before the council’s planning committee on Wednesday (July 15), where councillors approved them.
They had been considered back in May, but a decision was delayed.
Councillors initially said they had concerns over flood risks, the impacts on local roads, and the developer’s inability to provide cash for infrastructure improvements.
Nottinghamshire County Council, as the Highway Authority, said the transport assessment and conventional street design that had been proposed “falls short of what is required for a new development to properly tie into an existing neighbourhood in terms of active movement provision”.
It therefore proposed a number of conditions, including the widening of some footways to promote cycling and walking, as well as proper boundaries to separate the development from existing houses in the area.
The county council, also acting as flood authority, raised no objections.
The Fairygrove development is one of seven allocation sites in Retford, including Trinity Farm, Milnercroft, The Former Elizabethan High School, St Michael’s View, Station Road and Ordsall South.
A total of 10,013 homes need to be built across the district by 2037, including 1,802 in Retford.
By Joe Locker, Local Democracy Reporter
