Developer welcomes views on plans for 350 homes at Fernwood

Outline plans for 350 homes that could be built south of Fernwood were on show to the public on Thursday.

Larkfleet Homes hosted the consultation event at Fernwood Village Hall for its proposed development — construction of which is estimated to require 75 full-time staff over approximately seven years.

Mrs Hannah Guy, planning manager for Larkfleet Homes, said: “These consultations are invaluable because you get to see the real issues that people living in Fernwood have, and you see what you can do to make everyone happy.

“There are certain things we can’t change. Things like highways and drainage are imposed upon us, but we try to have as much control within the development as we can.

“One thing we wanted to get across was that we see the development as an extension of the existing village rather than something separate.”

The plans for the site, known as Fernwood Meadows South, include a mix of one to five bedroom homes, including provision for first-time buyers and the elderly. All would have solar panels fitted.

Children's play areas

There would be landscaped public open spaces and a number of children’s play areas.

An area of open land to the east would have a footpath linking to the rest of Fernwood.

The site would be served by a main road linking to a new roundabout on the B6326.

There are no plans for a road connecting Hollowdyke Lane.

Mrs Guy said the two main issues people raised related to management companies and transport links.

Larkfleet is proposing to appoint a property management company for the new site, despite an ongoing campaign to abolish the practice.

The system is currently in place at Fernwood and means homeowners pay an annual fee to a management firm for services such as care of open spaces.

The MP for Newark, Mr Robert Jenrick, has raised the issue in Parliament and, using Fernwood as an example, is making a case for the use of third-party maintenance firms for new estates to be outlawed nationally.

Visitors to the consultation included Mr Geoff Bowen, of Fernwood, who said he was impressed with the initial plans.

“There is a good mixture of houses and I particularly like the solar panels,” he said.

Mr Bowen said he had concerns about the impact of extra housing on traffic levels.

The chairman of the RAF Balderton Research Group, Mr Pete Stevens, said he hoped to see if there were any historical links on the site.

“I have asked if we could have a look at a few different places within the site where some remains of RAF Balderton could be before they start building,” Mr Stevens said.

“Overall the plans for the new village look very promising.”