Report by Local Democracy Reporter – Jon Cooper
View From The Northern Boundary Of The Western Field In The Site Proposed For 41 Homes Near Dark Lane, Calow, Near Chesterfield. Courtesy Of NE Derbyshire District Council.
Derbyshire planners have given the go-ahead for a new village housing scheme for 41 new homes despite concerns that community funding from the developer to support the area’s infrastructure is yet to be agreed.
North East Derbyshire District Council’s planning committee conditionally approved Woodall Homes’s planning application on July 28 for 41 new properties near Dark Lane, at Calow, near Chesterfield, on 3.58 hectares of greenfield land including two agricultural fields with plans for landscaping, infrastructure, access arrangements and associated works.
But Committee Chairperson, Cllr Lee Hartshorne, told the committee meeting he would have liked to have seen the Section 106 agreement, which outlines agreed financial contributions for community infrastructure from the developer, in place and he also raised concerns about the distance residents will have to drag their waste bins for collection.
He said: “I would like the S106 before us now to make a decision on that. I am not overly impressed with the ‘bin-drag’ for residents. I have had complaints about that from other residents particularly in Wingerworth. It’s a long way to pull those bins.”
A council officer confirmed to Cllr Hartshorne that S106 requests for financial contributions from the developer towards healthcare, education, and outdoor sports, recreation and open space facilities have been outlined and if these are not agreed the matter can be brought back to committee for a ‘change of circumstances’.
Controversially, the proposed site also falls outside ‘settlement development limits’ on land which is not allocated by the council for housing and it is deemed to be a departure from the council’s Development Plan.
A further residential development site to the north west of Dark Lane, known as Phase 1 of the Oakham Grange development, has already been approved on appeal and this is being developed for 75 new homes.
Concerning the scheme for 41 properties, the council received 23 objections and one general comment with concerns about increased traffic and road safety, pressure on infrastructure and community facilities, the loss of greenfield land and open countryside, noise, disturbance, loss of privacy, light pollution, flood risk and the impact on wildlife.
Calow Parish Council also objected to the plans on the grounds that the development would result in an unsustainable level of residential growth and add further pressure to local infrastructure and services.
But Derbyshire County Council’s highways authority raised no objections subject to conditions and the county council’s infrastructure team raised no objection subject to the S106 agreement.
The county council’s flood team and Yorkshire Water and Derbyshire Wildlife Trust also raised no objections subject to conditions and the Coal Authority similarly raised no objections.
A district council spokesperson stated: “The sustainable location of the site, within reasonable walking distance of services and facilities and the need to boost the supply of housing including affordable housing in the district weigh heavily in favour of the proposal.”
And even though the proposal is in conflict with district council policy, the development is considered to be ‘acceptable’ particularly because the council cannot currently demonstrate a five-year supply of housing land.
A council spokesperson added: “That the development can provide housing which will contribute towards the district’s housing need with a low to moderate impact on landscape weighs positively in favour of the scheme in the planning balance.”
Following discussions with the council’s planning officer the developers have also increased the number of affordable homes to nine including eight social or affordable rent properties and one affordable home ownership property among the total of 41 homes.
But Cllr Hartshorne said that he was concerned about the affordable social housing properties being separately crammed together in a corner on the site and that for six of the overall 41 homes residents will have to move their bins over 30 metres to a collection point.
An agent, representing the applicant, told the meeting that the scheme is in a sustainable area and boasts a percentage of social and affordable rent properties with easy access to local services, employment and the nearby Chesterfield Royal Hospital.
A council spokesperson added: “The proposal would deliver 41 new dwellings, including nine affordable homes, in a sustainable location, within reasonable walking distance of services, facilities and public transport links.
“The development would make a meaningful contribution towards the district’s housing supply at a time when the council cannot currently demonstrate a five-year supply of deliverable housing land.”
The planning committee voted in favour to conditionally approve planning permission for the scheme subject to the completion of a Section 106 agreement and to certain conditions.
Conditions include a construction management plan, a construction environmental management plan, a habitat management and monitoring plan, a species enhancement plan, a flood risk assessment and a drainage strategy.
