Almost 70 new homes set to be built on 'open space' land bordering the A38 in Sutton

Ashfield District Council’s planning committee has considered an application from Westerman Homes to build 69 new properties on land off Clare Road and Leamington Drive in Sutton.

The company recently completed the Larwood Development on the other side of the A38 in Kirkby and the two sites will be connected by a public right of way and bridal path, with a crossing over the dual carriageway already located at King’s Mill Road.

A report to the committee states: “The application site measures approximately 3ha in area and comprises unmanaged woodland and scrub sited between Clare Road to the north, and the A38 to the south.

“The topography of the site is relatively flat. An existing bridleway passes through the site close to the eastern boundary, linking the footway on Kings Mill Road to Clare Road.

“Immediately to the north is existing residential development on Clare Road and Leamington Drive which backs onto the development site.

“To the east of the site is Leamington Primary School and commercial development lies to the west. To the south of the site beyond the A38 is the recent Larwood development which was constructed by the applicant.

“The layout, appearance and scale of the development is considered to be acceptable.

“The impact upon highways safety, the amenity of local residents, biodiversity, flooding and landscape have all been assessed and considered acceptable – subject to planning conditions in certain cases.”

The report stated that while the proposed site is designated as ‘open space’, it is unused apart from the bridal path, which must remain open.

If the development goes ahead, along with other already approved builds in the area, it could put pressure on local education and health services.

To address this and as part of the approval conditions, Westerman must pay £136.397 towards primary education in the area and £37,389 towards healthcare provision.

It must also contribute £138,000 towards public open spaces, £20,000 towards the improvement of bus stops in the area, and provide a total of seven ‘affordable homes’ within the development.

The application was discussed by council planners on May 26, where it was recommended for approval.

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