Plans for controversial new housing estate in Spondon where deer roam free pulled at last minute

Erewash Borough Council had been set to decide plans from Bloor Homes for 259 houses on the field between Derby and Spondon Wood – in Erewash – at a meeting on Wednesday, December 11.

However, Bloor Homes has now withdrawn its application in order to submit amended plans for consideration by the council instead.

A further public consultation will be held by the developers, the council says, and it will be decided at a future meeting.

Borough council officers had recommended that the authority ask the Secretary of State for housing, Angela Raynor (also deputy Prime Minister), for permission to approve the plans for 259 houses in the Derby green belt.

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The site is currently set to be earmarked for 250 houses by the borough council in its submitted core strategy – the blueprint for future housing up until 2037 – with Government inspector Kelly Ford still in the process of reviewing the overall document and proposed sites, having held public hearings in June.

In late September, Ms Ford told the council that after looking at its proposed plans, it needed to find space for an additional 820 homes, on top of the 6,128 it has already earmarked, to a total under new housing targets of 6,948 homes.

The borough council responded by launching a “call for sites” for developers to propose sites which could be delivered in time and fill the authority’s forecast shortfall.

In a report for next week’s meeting, borough council officers say the 259 homes in Spondon are now needed to plug this 820-home gap, regardless of their previous controversial inclusion in the submitted core strategy.

They write: “The urgent need for housing delivery in Erewash and emerging development plan proposals for this site to help meet that need are considered to provide very special circumstances that outweigh the presumption against development on this site and, having regard to its limited contribution to any of the five purposes of the green belt, to outweigh any other harm to the green belt from developing this site.

“The site is otherwise suitable for development, being sustainably located as an extension to Spondon and having no demonstrable heritage, flood risk or pollution constraints.”

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The borough council said that it had received 551 individual responses to the plans from 304 properties, with the majority from people living in Spondon and detailing their objections to the scheme, but with some opposition ranging from as far away as Scotland.

Derby City Council, Derbyshire County Council, former Mid Derbyshire MP Pauline Latham, Dale Abbey Parish Council, Ockbrook and Borrowash Parish Council, city councillors Jonathan Smale and Nicola Roulstone all lodged their opposition to the scheme.

In total, there would be 21 two-bed houses, 133 three-bed houses and 105 four-bed houses. Of the 259 proposed homes, 10 per cent would be affordable housing (26 properties).

A total of £5.3 million will be provided to build affordable homes elsewhere in Erewash, in areas of “greatest need” “including Ilkeston and Long Eaton”.

Meanwhile, £1.6 million would be given for education improvements, £47,000 for bus stop upgrades, £1 million for improvements to the Willowcroft Road and Nottingham Road junction and £188,000 to improve the Spondon A52 roundabout.