Several hectares of forest, open land and water in Mansfield developed upon

The developments – which include homes, industrial buildings, transport and utility sites among other uses – have been built on areas such as grassland, forests and waterways, including lakes, canals and reservoirs.

It comes as Housing Secretary Michael Gove announced plans to repeal so-called “nutrient neutrality” rules.

Under legislation derived from the EU, Natural England instructs new developments to be nutrient-neutral, meaning developers must demonstrate their plans will not add to the ecological burden on local habitats, or pay for mitigation if they do.

However, this requirement will be watered down to become guidance under the changes proposed.

Meanwhile, the latest figures from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities show 5.7 hectares of forest, open land and water in Mansfield has been converted into developed use from 2019-20 to 2021-22.

It accounted for 6.4 per cent of the total land use change completed in Mansfield in the three years to March 2022.

In total, 54 hectares of non-developed land, which includes but is not limited to forest, open land, water, agricultural land, vacant sites and residential gardens, were developed upon in the three years to March 2022.

In Mansfield, 28.1 hectares of land were built on for residential purposes between 2019 and 2022, although this includes land previously developed and non-developed.