Major 850-home settlement with care home approved off busy MARR road in Mansfield

The settlement was brought forward by developer Hellier at Pleasley Hill Farm, off Water Lane and the A617 Mansfield and Ashfield Regeneration Route.

The plans will see up to 850 properties created on agricultural land, with the development to include the care home, a petrol station, gym, local shops and other employment spaces.

It comes after the land was allocated in Mansfield Council’s local housing plan in 2020, with the site earmarked for up to 925 homes.

At the council’s latest planning committee meeting, two speakers called on councillors to reject the proposals.

Pamela Simpson, who lives close to the area, said: “This development can’t go ahead.

“Everybody across the area does not want it, we’re all against it. It’s about taking out only – there’s no part of it that’s useful for the community, nothing at all.

“There should be a health warning placed on this development. With this development, with other areas in and around this development, if you put it all together is there going to be any room in Mansfield?”

A 102-page document published ahead of the meeting stated more than £5 million will be requested in developer contributions to mitigate the potential impact of the plans.

The NHS clinical commissioning group will receive about £500,000 to support healthcare services, with three nearby GP surgeries in the area currently operating ‘at full capacity’.

About 2,125 more people are expected to move to the area due to development, including through the homes and care home, and conversations are under way about tackling rising patient numbers.

Another £4.6m is requested by Nottinghamshire Council to support road infrastructure, public transport, libraries, waste management and education among other services.

This will help improve road junctions around the busy MARR, which will see two new junctions created to access the development.

A Hellier spokesman Hellier told councillors the company expects work to begin on the MARR access roads next year.

The meeting also heard from Tony Egginton, Mansfield mayor from 2002-15, who told councillors: “The MARR is and was said to be a regeneration route, not a ring road or a relief road.

“The funding of which took place in 2001 or 2002, with £35m of Government money provided to regenerate Mansfield and Ashfield.

“This included [money for] homes and jobs. The Government of the day pledged the money to provide regeneration opportunities.”

Prior to the decision, some councillors raised concerns about the scale of the development, but aired their plan to support it as the local plan allocation and lack of objections make them ‘bound to approve’ it.

Councillor Martin Wright, who represents Holly ward, said: “It was always going to have housing built on it, or employment land.

“I fear, as a committee, we’re really bound to approve this, so, although it’s with a heavy heart, I’ll have to support it.”

Councillors approved the plans by a margin of seven votes to one, with one councillor abstaining from the vote.