Plans submitted for 10 affordable homes in village close to Mansfield

Applicant Mr D Hyde and planning agency IBA Planning have lodged plans for land off Farnsfield Road, Bilsthorpe, close to the existing Ivy Gardens development.

Mr Hyde, the landowner, brought forward the Ivy Gardens plans a number of years ago and now wants to develop another part of the land. His plans propose 10 starter homes which would be marketed as ‘affordable’ in a bid to support Newark and Sherwood District Council’s affordable housing targets.

Planning documents reveal this could include a mix of two and three-bedroom bungalows, and two, three and four-bedroom homes.

The applicants said: “[We wish to] deliver the site as a First Homes Exception Site to provide discounted, affordable housing for first-time buyers as an alternative to conventional open market housing.

“The proposal will help improve the mix of housing options in Bilsthorpe and thereby help achieve a mixed and balanced community.

“The proposed residential development of the site will not only help meet local housing needs but will also bring local employment opportunities to the area during the period of construction.

“The site is small in size and so is suitable for a small-to-medium-sized builder.”

But concerns have been raised through objections by local residents on the authority’s planning portal.

They include issues over drainage, privacy, the environment and wildlife.

And other concerns include the proposed access, through Ivy Gardens, alongside unsafe pedestrian safety.

One objector said: “None of the Ivy Garden residents has safe pedestrian access or paths that lead onto Farnsfield Road; [we] have no choice other than to walk along the very busy road onto the nearest path.

“This is extremely dangerous and it is only a matter of time before a fatality will occur on this road.

“Increasing the development by another 10 houses will only increase the probability of an accident occurring. How do the disabled, people with young children /prams walk out of Ivy Gardens?”

Another said: “At this location, there is only a very narrow uneven grass verge which forces pedestrians to step onto Farnsfield Road.

“This is close to the National speed limit boundary and vehicles regularly pass doing speeds far in excess of the 30mph limit.

“There would be an increase in vehicles serving any new development, especially during the building period via Farnsfield Road and Ivy Gardens, exactly where pedestrians would be forced to walk.”

But on the access arrangements, the applicants say they have spoken with county council planners about their access plans.

They said: “The Ivy Gardens development has necessarily retained sufficient room for the access to be extended into the retained land.

“The existing access through Ivy Gardens [can also be] easily upgraded to adoptable standards. We have spoken directly to the development control officer at the local highway authority.

“They confirmed that, as long as the existing intervening development can facilitate an adoptable highway, they would be comfortable with the proposal from a highway safety standpoint.”

The plans will be discussed by council planners at a later date.