Road concerns delay homes plan decision

Concerned councillors are asking highways chiefs to look at safety issues on a Huthwaite road before deciding if a housing development can be given the green light.
Land off Chesterfield Road in Huthwaite has been earmarked for new housing developmentLand off Chesterfield Road in Huthwaite has been earmarked for new housing development
Land off Chesterfield Road in Huthwaite has been earmarked for new housing development

Ashfield District Council’s planning committee has deferred making a decision on an outline planning application to build 37 houses on land off Chesterfield Road because of road safety fears.

Members agreed that the access to any development at that location needs closely looking at because of the number of accidents that have happened on Chesterfield Road in recent years.

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Huthwaite councillor Lee Anderson referred the application to the committee in order to highlight the issue.

“I put a motion in for the decision to be deferred because we have serious concerns about the highways issues on Chesterfield Road,” he said.

“We have invited Nottinghamshire County Council’s road safety team and the portfolio holder out for a site visit with residents to look at the whole of Chesterfield Road.

“Hopefully they can come back to us with some suggestions for better road safety because it is a nightmare at the moment.”

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A previous application for the same development was withdrawn earlier this year due to concerns over the proposed access and requests for Section 106 contributions.

The county council has not objected the access road detailed in the new plans following a speed survey and an assessment of the visibility needed for an access road.

Coun Anderson said that lampposts are frequently knocked down by the bend at Strawberry Bank and cars end up in peoples’ gardens.

He added: “Thirty-plus new houses is nearly 100 extra cars - it is an accident waiting to happen.”

A road traffic collision actually happened on Chesterfield Road on Wednesday - the day after the planning committee, proving the point, said Coun Anderson.