Warsop gateaway development 'does not have council support', says developer

Mitchel Hunt, managing director of The Land Agent.co, was organiser of the 'Warsop Gateway' project, recently renamed as the King John Park development, which was dubbed as a "flagship" scheme to bring businesses, investment and eventually houses to the parish.

The 80-acre site, just off the A60 near Market Warsop, was earmarked to create an "injection" into the parish by developing its "footprint", with plans for restaurants, commercial properties, new infrastructure and a "windfall" of housing.

But Mr Hunt has revealed that the project allegedly "does not have the backing" of mayor Andy Abrahams, or Mansfield District Council's planning committee, having been told at a meeting that it "is not in the local plan".

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He says he plans to "meet residents" in Warsop to discuss the parish's future, and wants to show why the development would prevent Warsop's growth from being "suffocated".

He said: "We gave the council a chance to have a two-way conversation and they simply said it is not in the local plan.

"This project delivers everything from employment, to transport easement, tourism and leisure which included possible restaurant delivery, larger commercial access, better infrastructure, open space, retirement living and yes, on phase one, a windfall of housing.

"We even asked if we could just deliver the above without the housing.

"This will not only bring a investment injection, we were even looking at a model where the car park is given to Warsop Parish and the fees generated goes in to the Parish and upkeep of certain things including the prospective trail.

"Traffic wouldn’t have been an issue because the roundabout would have been large enough to have very good traffic flow.

"We even asked what the council would like on this site and again this was never answered.

"We have also provisionally put an idea forward for better infrastructure if the Robin Hood line reopens.

"We have read the local plan and this development ticks an awful lot of the criteria for building outside the village envelopes.

"Economically and socially this would be a great development. Something Warsop has missed.

"Warsop hasn’t grown footprint wise in a very long time. This is suffocating growth something again in the local plan.

"So we are meeting with Warsop Parish because we are potentially going to put the application in. This project has been chosen because of the impending local plan and our Warsop blood line."

Martyn Saxton, head of planning and regeneration at Mansfield District Council, said: “While we are unable to comment on private pre-application discussions, we can confirm that the proposal site is outside the defined boundary of Warsop.

"This is contrary to the existing local plan and the emerging local plan, which has only just been through public examination in May.

“This would set a precedent for similar developments that would undermine the local plan process and the proper planning of development within the district. The emerging local plan allocates sufficient housing and employment land to meet the identified need.”