90 new homes: Plans for housing development on Sutton farmland approved by Ashfield Council
Plans for 90 new homes on farmland in Sutton have been approved by the Ashfield Council.
The council’s planning committee met on March 19 and gave the go-ahead for the residential development.
Under plans, 90 new homes will be built on Radfords Farm, located along Dawgates Lane in Sutton near the village of Skegby.
Developer GMJ Ventures Ltd submitted the planning application in October 2024 with proposals to turn the 4.4 hectares of farmland into housing.
This application was previously presented to the planning committee in February.
The council previously refused the plans then, saying the development would cause ‘significant harm’ to the character of the area along with traffic concerns.
Documents said: “The proposed development would result in significant harm to the character and appearance of the surrounding area through the visual impact of the built form on green fields and the further encroachment of development into the open countryside.
Citing traffic concerns, the document added: “The adjacent highway network is incapable of accommodating any additional significant volumes of traffic without significant improvements.
“Additional points of access into the site are required to assist with traffic distribution and to provide highway users with safe access options.
"The proposed development is considered to be unsustainable with future users being heavily dependent on car travel.”
The application was presented to the committee again this month and was approved with new recommendations.
Under the recommendations, the developer is required to invest £312,480 towards a new secondary school and £270,000 funding towards parks and open spaces in the area under Section 106 contributions.
This includes a £8,658 contribution towards waste management facilities, £4,018 to upgrading library stock to accommodate the influx of residents and £40,000 to upgrade bus facilities, including a new bus stop and works to improve the AS0470 Pleasley Road bus stop.
Coun Helen Ann-Smith (Ash Ind) said at the meeting: “The decision has ultimately been made.
“It’s certainly a massive shame that we are losing green spaces in Ashfield and a big problem with that is that this current Government’s mindset that houses must be built at all costs.
“It goes to show that this current Government’s mindset towards residents in Sutton – they’re not on our side.”