An aerial view of the proposed site of up to 250 homes in The Green Road, Ashbourne. Image from Google.
Report by Local Democracy Reporter – Eddie Bisknell
Plans for more than 200 houses on Derbyshire fields could threaten the route of a beloved historic annual sporting event, residents fear.
Royal Shrovetide football dominates the streets, fields and rivers of Ashbourne every February, barring limited exceptions, following well-trodden routes and causing seasonal accepted disruption and damage.
However, plans from Harworth Land Management could hinder its traditional paths for the Up’Ards and Down’Ards teams, comprising town residents born either side of Henmore Brook.
Hallam Land Management has submitted two separate planning applications simultaneously to Derbyshire Dales District Council for 250 homes and 175 homes respectively, on land off The Green Road.
The plans would involve housing built between The Green Road and Henmore Brook on the north-eastern edge of the town.
In its larger housing scheme, the development would encompass more fields in its middle and southern sections, comprising three-and-a-half fields alongside Henmore Brook, while the smaller plan would involve one field alongside the waterway.
A core part of the scheme which has worried residents is the impact on the public right of way which cuts through the centre of the proposed development, west to east.
This is often the selected route of the annual Royal Shrovetide football match, on its way to the Sturston Mill goal where the Up’Ards attempt to score.
Following an initial public consultation, the developers held firm despite objections to the impact on Royal Shrovetide football, detailing in their planning applications: “There is no planning policy requirement which protects any land which is currently used for the Shrovetide football event.
“The cultural and historic importance of this annual event to the town is recognised.
“A large proportion of the site to the south is to remain as open space, therefore retaining the option for the event to pass through the southern part of this site.”
Plans from Hallam do show the public right of way being retained by the developer, if homes are approved.
Brett O’Connell, who has lived in The Green Road for five years, started a petition signed by more than 600 people over the plans.
He said: “People buying houses there are going to have a shock.”
While Shrovetide football stops play when the ball enters a private garden, the sporting event still sees hundreds of people forming a tight formation called the “hug” as they fight for the ball often through residential areas, the brook and town centre, sometimes causing indirect damage.
Mr O’Connell, a civil engineer, said the district council itself had just recently started the process of earmarking the plot for 88 houses in its draft Local Plan, which is out to consultation, with a view to adopting the document in early 2028.
He said the developer was trying to “muscle in” before that smaller preference is adopted as the accepted quantity of housing.
Mr O’Connell said the impact on the surrounding road network from 1,100 extra vehicle movements, as indicated by the developer, would be significant, including on the nearby Queen Elizabeth Grammar School, 500 metres away.
He said the school’s playing fields, which border the intended housing site, could also be impacted by plans to pump sewage uphill, saying this could cause a “nasty smell”.
Mr O’Connell said: “We are not opposed to housing developments, we all recognise the shortage of housing, but it needs to be built in the right place.
“Just because the land has been sold does not mean it is good to build houses on.”
He contended that the quantity of housing proposed was too high, with both options around double that pitched by the council.
Mr O’Connell said the wildlife on the site and historic hedgerows and farming techniques needed to be protected.
Heavy rainwater in The Green Road already overwhelms existing drains, he said, and led to homeowners laying out sandbags to protect their homes on a regular basis.
He said: “For the people who have lived here all of their lives, they are angry about it, they are upset this has been proposed. It has brought people together.
“We are not NIMBYs (not in my back yard) but something of this scale is not justified and if approved it would change the face of this part of Ashbourne.”
Jess Bretherton, another opposing resident, said there was “growing outrage” over the plan, saying: “This poses an irreversible threat to both our historic culture and our local environment.
“The site in question directly interferes with the boundary lines and playing fields traditionally used for the Royal Shrovetide Football match.
“Limiting or altering this space directly impacts a centuries-old tradition that forms the very heartbeat of the Ashbourne community.
“As you may be aware the Shrovetide committee has been pursuing UNESCO status to protect this important tradition. These plans fly in the face of that protection attempting to build on yet more greenfield sites in the area before the status can be secured.
“We cannot allow the destruction of our natural heritage and the dilution of our unique local customs for the sake of this development.”
A statement submitted on behalf of Hallam, submitted with its application, says: “The site is not allocated in the development plan for residential development. However, the Local Plan is out of date.
“The site is located immediately adjacent to the existing settlement boundary of Ashbourne, that being a first tier settlement and highly sustainable location for additional growth.
“The development has the potential to deliver circa 250 dwellings, which is a substantial benefit to be weighed in favour of the application, particularly given the Government’s clear objective to significantly boost the supply of homes and the council’s chronic shortfall.
“There are no adverse impacts that would significantly and demonstrably outweigh the development’s clear economic, social and environmental benefits.
“The proposed development directly aligns with the Labour Government’s aspirations to build 1.5 million new homes over the next Parliament.
“The existing public right of way which runs through the site will be retained. There will also be space for the Shrovetide event to pass through the southern part of the site.
