Nottinghamshire councillors Sam Smith and Johno Lee claim a victory over proposals to develop land at Highfields School, Balderton, as county council land withdrawn from use

County councillors are claiming a victory over developers and their plans for a massive housing development on land near a private school.

Several planning applications have come forward for the site off London Road that includes woodland and have been refused. Most recently, an application for 87 houses was lodged with the district council and rejected as ridiculous.

Land ownership is spread between several parties, including the school and Nottinghamshire County Council.

County councillors for the area, Sam Smith and Johno Lee say they have successfully lobbied for the authority to remove its land from any conceivable building scheme.

In a joint statement with the portfolio holder Keith Girling, they said: “In August of this year, we were delighted that yet another application for housing on the playing fields of Highfields School was rejected by Newark and Sherwood District Council’s Planning Committee but the situation had been going on for years with planning application after planning application being submitted by the developer.

“We all agreed with local residents’ that it was time that this merry-go-round stopped and, whilst we can not prevent the developer submitting another application for housing on other parts of the Highfields site, we have worked together with the Conservative-led county council to withdraw county council-owned land from any future plans.

“This will protect the county council-owned land as a green space and we will, in the near future, seek the views of residents to gather opinions on the best use for this land as an accessible outdoor space for the community to enjoy. We want to explore possibilities that align with the community's vision and values. This is a step towards preserving the character and beauty of land surrounding Highfields School for generations to come.”

Going forward, councillor Sam Smith and councillor Johno Lee will begin consultations with residents to gather opinions on the best use for this land.

Avant Homes submitted the plan for 87 homes and associated access and games area, including the removal of a number of trees protected by tree protection orders, at Highfields School, London Road. This latest attempt at planning permission was rejected in August.

The development would have encompassed the rear of the school site, and while below the maximum recommended density based on the size of the site, the layout of the homes meant they would have been closely packed together.

Newark and Sherwood District Council’s planning committee supported the officer’s recommendation for refusal based upon the harm caused by the loss of many mature and high quality trees, the house design failing to match the area’s vernacular, it’s severe adverse highway impact on nearby junctions, the temporary and permanent loss of playing fields, which was also objected to by Sports England, and the pressure the development would put on the town’s existing infrastructure.

Fault was also found with the layout of the site, as the proximity of the affordable housing to the multi-use games area caused concerns about how floodlights, noise and the opening hours of the area would impact those homes.

The location and projected growth of existing trees in the development was also said to be unsustainable, with many set to block light from gardens, or be over carparking spaces — which was thought to likely cause complaints of damage to the vehicles.

The site is not designated for development within the council’s seven-year housing provision plans, but does fall within the Newark Urban Area which allows for urban development.

Newark East’s Conservative County Councillor Sam Smith and Balderton North & Coddington Conservative District Councillor Johno Lee have long campaigned against housing plans on the playing fields of Highfields School. In November 2022, they submitted a petition to the County Council, which was signed by over 100 residents who live on and around London Road in Newark, calling upon the County Council to withdraw its land from a planning agreement with the developer and instead protect the site as an open green space. Since then, Cllrs Smith and Lee have been working closely with the County Council’s Cabinet Member for Asset Management, Councillor Keith Girling.

After updating Balderton Parish Council on Wednesday 4th October, Cllrs Sam Smith, Johno Lee and Keith Girling have today issued a joint statement confirming that the County Council has withdrawn its land from the housing planning agreement on the Highfields School site. In their joint statement, County Councillor Sam Smith, District Councillor Johno Lee and the County Council’s Asset Management Cabinet Member Cllr Keith Girling said: