Major housing shake-up: Derbyshire councils scramble to find space for thousands of homes

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Councils in Derbyshire, including Amber Valley and South Derbyshire, are under pressure to find sites for thousands of new homes as government targets loom.

Thousands of homes on the outskirts of Derby are involved in a hokey cokey where significant plots of land are being added into and taken out of future development plans.

Amber Valley, Derby and South Derbyshire are in the process of working out where they will earmark sites for future housing over the next couple of decades.

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This includes looking at significant new developments on the outskirts of the city, with Derby City Council saying it simply does not have the space to meet its annual Government targets.

Amber Valley Borough Council had intended to earmark land between Brun Lane and Radbourne Lane in Mackworth as a 2,000-home site through its Local Plan, which has been submitted to Government inspectors and assessed in hearings in December.

However, inspectors Anne Jordan and Alison Partington have told the council that they “do not consider Brun Lane is deliverable” and will be recommending it be removed from the plan, a letter from central Government is to say.

This site had formed the lion’s share of housing expected to be built in the borough over the next couple of decades and now the council will face the choice of either pulling its plan – which has taken years and hundreds of thousands of pounds to draw up – or continue with significant required changes.

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If councillors choose to proceed the council will be given around six months to make changes and reconsult the public and arrange new hearings to hopefully see the development scheme adopted.

Ms Jordan has said the assumed availability of land at Brun Lane was “obviously a clear error”.

The inspectors are recommending that while the site should be withdrawn from this plan there is “some clear potential for the site or a site in this area to be developed within a future plan so we will be recommending that the general area is identified in the plan as an area for future housing growth”.

This would be accompanied by a masterplan for the overall site and any associated required infrastructure improvements.

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At a public inquiry hearing over the planned Mackworth site in December, representatives for the farming family who own the land said they did not support its use for housing.

Borough council officials said the authority would instead look to compulsory purchase the land off the farming family.

The owners had suggested a smaller site for 600 houses could be put forward as a compromise but this was roundly rejected due to its suitability not having been analysed and tested, unlike the larger 2,000-home scheme.

Haven Baulk Lane in Mickleover, where 2,500 homes could be built as an extension to the city within South DerbyshireHaven Baulk Lane in Mickleover, where 2,500 homes could be built as an extension to the city within South Derbyshire
Haven Baulk Lane in Mickleover, where 2,500 homes could be built as an extension to the city within South Derbyshire | LDRS

Meanwhile, during the hearing inspectors had questioned why land in South Derbyshire, which abuts the Brun Lane site had not been considered for housing.

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Now South Derbyshire District Council has detailed in a report to be discussed next week that it intends to earmark land for 250 houses either side of Brickyard Wood, to the north-west and south-east, bordering the B5020, in its upcoming Local Plan review.

It says the land at Radbourne Common would continue to be earmarked as a “future location for growth” “in the event of Amber Valley continuing with the promotion of Mackworth as the strategic growth option in their borough”.

The district council says: “It is anticipated that the Amber Valley Local Plan inspectors will issue a letter to Amber Valley which amongst other things is expected to cast some doubt on the delivery of the Mackworth allocation. 

“It is also considered to be good planning to identify the area adjacent to Mackworth as a future location for growth in SDDC only in the event of Amber Valley proceeding with the allocation at Mackworth.”

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Meanwhile, South Derbyshire is looking to continue its plan to earmark land for a 2,500-home extension to Mickleover and a 2,000-extension in Chellaston as an expansion of the Infinity Garden Village project.

It announced this plan in September and went out to public consultation and has now said: “The main approach to meet unmet need arising from Derby on the same two housing led strategic sites with the same overall housing numbers on the edge of Derby is recommended to remain.

“It is much more likely based on several rounds of plan preparation that the transport modelling work in particular will fully endorse a strategy of meeting housing need closest to where it is needed in Derby and closest to the strategic road network with several committed enhancement schemes in the pipe line including the A50 new junction to serve STRA1 (IGV) and the A38 improvement scheme that will assist in the delivery of STRA2 (south of Mickleover). 

“These locations are also likely to be among the most viable creating new sustainable communities in their own right, with excellent links to Derby and beyond.”

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The future growth option for 250 houses at Radbourne Common earmarked by South Derbyshire District CouncilThe future growth option for 250 houses at Radbourne Common earmarked by South Derbyshire District Council
The future growth option for 250 houses at Radbourne Common earmarked by South Derbyshire District Council | LDRS

The “land South of Mickleover” scheme would see 2,500 homes built between the A38, off the Findern Interchange, up to the Pastures Golf Club and the A516.

It would also include 12 to 24 acres of employment land, a potential retirement village, Gypsy and Traveller pitches, a three-form primary school and nursery, healthcare facilities, a local centre including shops and other services, a new “country park” to the north, west and south of the former Pastures Hospital estate, along with new cycling and walking routes.

The Infinity Garden Village extension would see 2,000 houses built off Infinity Park Way up to the Lowes Lane Clay Shooting Ground, within which was supposed to be the site of the long-awaited secondary school to serve the overall project.

The new extension would add to the 4,500 homes already planned within the wider garden village (to potentially total 6,500), with a 1,850-home plan having been submitted in 2019 which has yet to be decided.

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A total of 5,000 new jobs are also set to be provided through a huge 290-acre extension to the Infinity Park business estate and Rolls-Royce, linking it to the A50.

The new addition would see an extra 173-acre employment site added to the garden village, along with a potential retirement village and Gypsy and Traveller pitches.

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