At Gamston, Tollerton Park and Tollerton Lane, the council owns around 122 acres within a major urban extension area already identified in planning policy and removed from the Green Belt.
Nottinghamshire County Council is being asked to approve a new four-year programme to sell and develop surplus land and property in an effort to raise funds, reduce maintenance costs and support housing and regeneration schemes across the county.
A report to the Cabinet Member for Economic Development and Asset Management on 9 February sets out a proposed Capital Disposal Strategy and Land Development Programme covering 2026 to 2029. The authority owns a large portfolio of land and buildings, including operational sites used for services, investment properties and assets no longer required.
The strategy aims to rationalise that estate by identifying sites that can be sold, redeveloped or repurposed.
Officers say 94 properties are currently vacant or surplus, with 49 identified for disposal as part of the initial programme. The council’s medium-term financial strategy assumes £104.9 million will be generated from capital receipts to support the capital programme and repay borrowing. The new approach would involve preparing sites for development — including planning work and surveys — rather than selling them immediately, with the aim of increasing their value.
The report estimates that investing about £4.79 million in preparatory work across the programme could produce around £93 million in additional value compared with straightforward disposals. Without that investment, the council could still sell the land but would forgo that uplift in receipts. The programme would be delivered through Arc Partnership, the council’s property development partner, with individual business cases scrutinised by internal boards before decisions on each site.
The council also notes the programme must remain flexible because some assets could transfer to successor authorities under local government reorganisation expected around April 2028.
Three sites form the first phase.
At Gamston, Tollerton Park and Tollerton Lane, the council owns around 122 acres within a major urban extension area already identified in planning policy and removed from the Green Belt. The land forms part of a wider scheme expected to deliver up to 4,000 homes along with schools, employment land and supporting infrastructure. Funding would initially cover surveys and planning work so the council can enter land equalisation agreements and decide whether to sell early or pursue full development value.
In Averham near Newark, the former Manners Sutton School site — about one acre — would be prepared for a small residential scheme. Around half the land is intended to be transferred to a community group as open space, following agreement in principle late last year. The vacant CLASP-constructed building is deteriorating and contains asbestos, creating ongoing maintenance, security and safety costs if retained.
In Retford, the demolished St Michael’s View care home site at Hallcroft would be investigated and marketed subject to planning permission. The council says the empty brownfield land currently incurs fencing and maintenance costs and is vulnerable to trespass and fly-tipping but could support housing or other development.
Under the proposed governance arrangements, overall progress would be overseen by a development and capital receipts board, with councillors making site-specific decisions under the council’s constitution. Ward members would be consulted on each business case and full public consultation would take place through the planning system where required.
The report stresses that approval at this stage would establish the programme framework only. Individual disposals and investments would return for further approval, and detailed financial information for each site is contained in a separate confidential appendix. If agreed, the programme would run on a rolling four-year basis and form part of the council’s approach to funding infrastructure and services through asset management.
