Large Mansfield and Ashfield cross-border housing development could be moving forward
There are hints a large housing development on the border of Ashfield and Mansfield could be taking a step forward after almost five years.
Arc Partnership’s outline plans – submitted on behalf of Nottinghamshire Council – for up to 235 homes to be built on land at Rushley Farm, south of Cauldwell Road in Mansfield, were first submitted in 2021 but no final decision has been made.
The patch of land, which is owned by the county council, sits just below West Nottinghamshire College’s Derby Road Campus, and the Nottingham Trent University Mansfield University Centre and technically comes under two authorities.
Most of the development land falls under Ashfield Council, but around 10 per cent comes under Mansfield Council.
Both of these authorities’ planning committees approved the development back in 2023.
Despite both district councils approving the scheme at committee stage, all three authorities, including the county council, have to sign off on the Section 106 agreement – a document detailing developer financial contributions to the nearby community – but negotiations have been going on for several years.
Now, the years-old scheme appears to be reaching a resolution, with Ashfield Council formally approving the Section 106 on June 10.
The Section 106 is still formally pending with Mansfield Council.
If the Section 106 agreement is approved by all three authorities, around £800,000 must be provided to offset the potential impact of the housing plans, including £127,340.63 to support existing healthcare infrastructure and £83,728 towards special educational needs provision.
A further £14,356.03 would go towards a new recycling facility in Mansfield, as well as £1,498 per home towards road improvements, which totals £352,000.
Ashfield councillor Matthew Relf (Ash Ind) told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS): “I certainly think things need to be looked at in the Cauldwell Road and Nottingham Road junction.
“At peak times that will cause a lot of people sat on Cauldwell Road unable to get out of the new estate.
"It needs to be looked at by the highways at the county council.
“It’s a fairly straightforward development, certainly with the Government pushing for such large housing numbers it has been a challenge for us.
"Sites like this aren’t particularly controversial, so it’s welcome in that sense.
“But we’re not really that enamoured to pave over fields at the Government’s behest of wanting so many houses.”
Mansfield councillor Anne Callaghan (Lab), portfolio holder for housing, said: “The proposal is for a cross-boundary application with Ashfield Council being the primary determining authority.
"Around 10 per cent of the site is within the Mansfield district.
“The application was granted by the planning committee in 2023 with negotiations on the final Section 106 legal agreement ongoing since.
"Matters relating to the site layout, size and design of the homes, and landscaping will be decided at a later stage.”
The homes would connect with the existing Mansfield residential areas of Berry Hill and the Lindhurst development to the west.
Original documents propose a four-year construction period, where 20 homes would be built in the first year, along with access, with up to 140 homes built in years two and three and the remaining 72 homes built in year four.
Nottinghamshire Council has been contacted for comment about signing off on the developer contributions.