‘No green land is safe’: Fears of road congestion in Sutton over 84-homes plan

Developer Avant Homes Central submitted plans on November 25 for 84 homes on land off Fisher Close – with the development to be called Silverhill Edge.

Early ‘outline’ approval for the site without detail was previously granted in May 2023 – the new plans are for the the main design.

The entrance to the site would be from Fisher Close with potential plans for a pedestrian route through to Stanton Crescent.

The development site sits in the council’s Carsic ward but its access point coming from Fisher Close falls under the Dales ward.

Coun Helen-Ann Smith (Ash Ind), an Ashfield councillor who also represents Sutton North – which covers residents living in Fisher Close – on Nottinghamshire Council, has expressed concern over the consequences of the Labour Government’s housing targets on congestion levels.

She believes the application ‘will be detrimental to the safety of existing residents’.

She has called the application in to be decided by Ashfield Council’s planning committee over concerns for highway safety and the ‘intensification’ of the site.

She said: “What is clear is that since the new Government announced that they were increasing enforced housing targets to 604 houses a year, a 37 per cent increase, developers are crawling all over Ashfield – no green land is safe.

“The junction of Fisher Close clearly cannot cope with the current number of houses, never mind a further 84 and I think the application for this site is for far too many houses.”

The Government announced its new housing plans in July with all councils across England being given mandatory housing targets to help deliver the Government’s target of 1.5m more homes to tackle the housing crisis.

Changes include an overhaul of the planning system, ensuring all areas have local housing plans, a review of Green Belt land and a drive of 50 per cent delivery of affordable homes.

Avant Homes has confirmed a community contribution of £750,000 from the development, which will help pay for improvements to the local public transport, healthcare and education infrastructure.

Matt Barker, Avant Homes central director in charge, said: “Sutton is a fantastic location for us to further expand our development footprint in Nottinghamshire.

“As a company, we are committed to providing quality new homes for everyone in places where people want to live.

Silverhill Edge is an excellent opportunity for us to deliver on this.

“We now look forward to Ashfield Council considering our plans to create a new thriving community in Sutton.”

The site would offer a range of two, three, four and five-bedroom energy-efficient homes, with eight being affordable.

Brierley Forest Park borders the site on its western side and a wildflower meadow would be planted in the northern part.

If plans are accepted, works are expected to begin in August 2025 with the first residents expected to move in by April 2026.

Ashfield Council’s planning committee will decide on the application at a later date.