Rushcliffe Borough Council approves 200 homes for allocated land in Radcliffe

Plans for 200 homes were approved after the decision came down to the casting vote of one councillor.

Strong objections were made to the development site to the north of Nottingham Road in Radcliffe, but the authority said the land was allocated for housing as part of its development plan.

After a debate on the application that lasted almost two hours, five councillors voted for and five against, meaning the final vote came down to the vice-chairman Maureen Stockwood.

Applicant the Mosaic Group asked for outline planning permission for a residential development of around 200 new homes and some employment land for the site, which is currently agricultural land within flood zone two and a small area in flood zone three.

Flood zone three is the most likely to flood.

As well as flooding concerns, fears were raised during the meeting that Radcliffe could become unrecognisable as a village due to the number of new homes being built.

Council officers recommended planning permission be granted on March 10, despite objections from local parish councils and Holme Pierrepont.

Following a previous objection to the proposals, the Environment Agency stated it had worked closely with the flood risk consultant and agents to reach a positive outcome.

A total of 40 letters of objection have been received and state the site floods every year and is unsuitable for housing, with the busy A52 already at capacity.

Abby Brennan said during the meeting: “The Head of the Environment Agency Sir James Bevan said in 2020 that building new homes on flood plains in England should be resisted if at all possible and only if there is no alternative.

“Yet, here we are. The majority [of the site] is in flood zone 2, some in flood zone 3.

“It is now clearly inappropriate to support development on this site.

“We are building vast swathes of housing across Rushcliffe’s green fields and we do not need to build on our flood plains.

“Radcliffe will soon be unrecognisable as a village.”

Anne McLeod, planning chairman at Radcliffe Parish Council, said: “Radcliffe Parish Council objects to this planning application for the following reasons.

“Rushcliffe has already fulfilled its housing requirements for the short and medium-term.

“Nottingham Road is currently heavily used, additional housing on Shelford Road and on the old RAF airfield has significantly increased traffic.

“Our overwhelming objection is that this area is a flood plain, which is subject to regular flooding events often for weeks at a time.

“Climate change is altering rainfall patterns episodes of heavy rain are increasing.

“The parish council firmly believes that this development should not go ahead. Leaving the fields as grass meadows is the greatest opportunity for flood water to dissipate.”

Bob Wollard, the applicant’s agent, said: “The proposed scheme will deliver a high-quality combined business and residential development where living and working environments are connected.

“Notably, the inspector of the 2006 Local Plan said that this should be the next site to come forward in the borough.

“An endorsement that both the Environment Agency and the LLFA (Lead Local Flood Authorities) demonstrate with evidence that with climate change factored in, flood risk of the site from the trend is low, and in the event of very significant rain, the scheme has the capacity to hold surface water.

“During severe winter storm events over a number of years, no river flooding has taken place on the site.

“The development will deliver a sustainable residential environment embedded in naturalised and connected open spaces in combination with high-quality employment opportunities for local people.”