Plans for 4,000 homes on the site of Tollerton airfield in Rushcliffe could be given the go ahead due in part to government housing targets.
Cllr Neil Clarke MBE, the leader of Rushcliffe Borough Council, has addressed issues raised by residents.
Land near the villages of Tollerton and Gamston which includes the site of the former Nottingham City ( Tollerton ) Airport – has been earmarked for new housing since 2014.
But this has proven highly controversial with those who live nearby, with many stressing that they do not want to see anything built there.
The borough council’s cabinet recently paused their decision on adopting a supplementary planning document (SPD) for the site – a masterplan produced by landowners outlining how they’ll approach the huge project.
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But while this was deemed a success in the campaign to halt the plans by those who are against them, Cllr Clarke says that ultimately, the council has to deliver on government housing policies.
“You have to make sure and you have to have in mind all the time that you’re trying to act in the best interests of the residents,” he said. “But also, you can’t stand still and you’ve got to be aware of government policies.
“We’re at the stage now where that land is allocated for housing. Provided that the individual applications for that housing allocation comply and that all concerns and factors are addressed and satisfied in each application, then it could go ahead.
“We are aware of concerns around possible contamination on other areas around the former airfield site and residents at the Tollerton Park site have been updated on this in the last 10 days.
“As there have been some changes at the site since the last survey in 2008, as a reassurance to residents, the UK Health Security Agency suggest there is suitable justification for another radiation survey to be undertaken to ensure that the risk to health to those living in Tollerton Park remains low.”
The adoption of the SPD was paused due to concerns about traffic data and highways plans being insufficient. Council officers – those who are paid and work full-time, as opposed to the elected councillors who sit on the cabinet – had recommended that the cabinet say yes to the SPD.
A group of residents, who campaign as the Save Nottingham Airport Group (SNAG), protested outside the cabinet meeting, on 13 January, with placards and banners. Led by chair Sarah Deacon, they protested against the closure of the airport in response to the news that it needed to be closed to facilitate the building of homes.
The airport closed in June last year, although only to fixed-wing operations, helicopters still use the facility. the group has concerns about potential contamination of the site with radioactive radium possibly left there from when the area was used as a landfill site for airplanes after World War II. Those involved maintain that the site is simply not suitable for homes.
But Councillor Clarke said: “Any campaigner anywhere will always claim that they haven’t been listened to. But I think in this case, I hope that we have been able to act in a way in which all the neighbours and the locals can understand the process.
“Hopefully we’ve explained it properly and they understand it. They might not agree with it but they can accept why it needs to take place and also hopefully they’ve got the assurance that we have made sure we’ve done the very best to mitigate their concerns as much as we possibly can.
“I have to say, in general, we’ve got some very sensible residents in Rushcliffe, who, provided that you explain things and provided that you have demonstrated that you have discussed it, they’re accepting of decisions.”
Rushcliffe is currently targeted to build around 873 homes per year. This number could fluctuate slightly when the council adopts the Greater Nottingham Strategic Plan, which it is developing in conjunction with Nottingham City and Broxtowe Borough councils. The current number dates back to 2014, when the Conservative government asked Rushcliffe for 17,000 homes over the next 13 years.
The targets were adopted at the time in Rushcliffe’s Local Plan, which marked out areas like the land near Tollerton as potentially suitable for housebuilding. Former Conservative PM Rishi Sunak scrapped targets in 2022 but they were reinstated by Keir Starmer’s Labour government when they got into power in 2024.
In September, Rushcliffe’s Conservative cabinet member for housing and planning, Roger Upton, called on his colleagues to write to Westminster and ask for the targets to be abolished. Cllr Clarke said: “To be fair, no matter which government is in power, which colour party, they all want and need to build houses. It’s not a party or political thing.
“We have to deliver those house build policies and that’s where we need to make sure we keep protecting our green belt as much as we can.
“So it’s getting that compromise and balance right to make sure you can demonstrate you’ve taken the residents’ opinions into account whilst also delivering the policies that we need to deliver.”
More information on the site can be found at www.rushcliffe.gov.uk/tollertonairfield
