'Trees not tarmac, cows not concrete': Derbyshire villagers fight 200-home Green Belt estate with 1,000 objections

Campaigners in a Derbyshire village have compiled more than 1,000 objection letters to a 200-home housing estate in the protected Green Belt.

Members of the Save Kilburn and Horsley Green Belt campaign group are objecting to plans for 200 homes off Horsley Road to the south of Kilburn, filed by Wheeldon Brothers in August.

The project, submitted to Amber Valley Borough Council, would include 70 affordable homes and the developers argue the plot in question ought to be classed as non-protected “grey belt”.

Campaigners say “trees not tarmac”, “cows not concrete” and “fields not floods” should be prioritised.

A total of 874 objection letters have already been submitted to the council – with none offering support – with the group saying it is has a further 300 to add to the pile, taking the total past 1,100.

They say: “SKHGB is a community-led, non-political group formed by local residents. The committee is clear: we’re not against sensible, sustainable development. 

“We’re against this development because it would erode the distinct identities of Kilburn and Horsley, villages defined by their heritage, close-knit community and rural character. 

“The development would not only erode much-loved countryside but also undermine the sense of place that generations of residents have worked to preserve.

“The application tries to blur Green Belt policy by presenting the land as ‘grey belt’, a new government concept intended for poor-quality or previously developed land.”

The main lines of objections from residents and campaigners are concerns over traffic, road safety, public transport, drainage, sewage, flood risk and landscape impact.

Andy Vallans, SKHGB committee member, said: “Amber Valley already has a fully-identified supply of housing land to meet its needs to 2040. 

“There is no policy justification for releasing protected countryside. 

“This land is unambiguously Green Belt, and building here would erode Kilburn and Horsley’s rural identity and set a damaging and unnecessary precedent for the whole of Amber Valley.”

The developer says plans for two homes had been suggested on the identified site in 2018 and deemed unsuitable due to the Green Belt location.

However, they say no grey belt assessment was considered, with this only being brought in as a new policy in late 2024 – six years later.

Grey belt refers to areas of land which, while appearing green, may constitute previously developed land due to its use.

It also includes plots which have been found not to add a benefit to the wider Green Belt or result in significant loss through its removal.

The developer said the site does represent a key part of the separation between Kilburn to the north and Horsley to the south, but says national policy dictates that the separation argument is only relevant between two towns, not two villages.

As a result, it says the site cannot be protected for this purpose, and should also be approved even if it is not deemed to be grey belt, claiming the benefits of 200 homes outweigh the negatives.

If approved, the plans would include two ponds, an orchard and a children’s play area.

Access to the site would stem off Horsley Road and the overall site would have 400 parking spaces.

Wheeldon Brothers also filed plans over the summer for 80 homes off Cross Hill in Crosshill, also in Amber Valley, reiterating its belief that the parts of the borough- including this plot – ought to be designated as “grey belt” and not Green Belt.

Decisions will be made by the borough council on both sets of plans in the next few months