Clipstone Colliery housing plan returns after developers address concerns

The application on Mansfield Road was originally recommended for rejection by Newark & Sherwood District Council in July.

However, the final decision was delayed while developer Harper Crewe made changes to address officers’ concerns about parking and road access.

It is now recommended for approval at Newark & Sherwood District Council’s planning committee next week (October 3).

The former pit, which was once one of the most productive in Britain, closed in 2003 most of the remnants have been demolished.

The Grade II-listed headstocks and powerhouse, which were used to lower miners down the pit, still stand on the edge of the application site.

The planning documents lay out 88 homes for the open market and 38 affordable homes, each with between one and five bedrooms.

Nottinghamshire County Council was previously unhappy with the lack of parking and the inadequate width of some roads, drives and garages.

They have now dropped their objections, providing the new roads meet with their guidelines.

Council leader Paul Peacock (Lab) who represents the ward, has referred application to the committee for a decision.

He says there are still questions about potential anti-social behaviour near the headstocks, and is concerned about there only being one road in and out of the estate.

He also says it will add further pressure on schools and health services in nearby Ollerton.

Clipstone Parish Council has also maintained its objections from the original plans, saying the area wouldn’t be able to meet demand from residents.

The headstocks have been listed by Historic England as they were once state-of-the-art and were the tallest in England at over 200 feet, although they are now a target for vandalism.

The pit first opened in 1922, and produced almost a million tonnes of coal annually at its peak.