Consternation from Newark Town Council as planning application comes forward C.B. Collier to enable huge housing development at Flowserve

A planning application that willl trigger housing development at Flowserve has again given rise to consternation at the loss of prime sporting facilities.

An application has been submitted for reserved matters - layout and appearance - for the Flowserve Pump Division land at Hawton Lane, Balderton.

The application seeks a new spine road and enabling works, for what will ultimately see more than 300 homes built on land sold by Flowserve but not, at this stage, the sports fields.

At a meeting of the Newark Town Council planning committee, committee members Mathew Skinner described the sporting facilities as first class and said it was devastating loss to the community.

The landowner, C. B. Collier NK Ltd, won an appeal to build 322 homes on land surrounding Flowserve Sports and Social Club after the application was rejected by Newark and Sherwood District Council.

The gates to Lowfields football pitches and bowls greens were then padlocked after the club was hit with an unprecedented rate increase that would have become £75,000 a year.

Newark Town Council’s planning committee debated the reserved matters application this week.

As a result, Newark’s premier football team had to find a new home ground 20 miles away in Basford before relocating to Collingham FC.

In 2021, the then chairman of the district council’s planning committee, Roger Blaney told the Advertiser the fact that Newark FC, now Newark and Sherwood United, was now without a home ground was tragic and the authority had done all it could to prevent that happening.

It was following the appeal that building that Mr Blaney said building on land that has been used for sport for a century would represent a betrayal of a legacy.

For the land to built on, the developer will need to demonstrate to Sport England that the land has not been used consistently for a ten-year period, meaning it could lay fallow for that length of time before a further application is made.

He said that because the club land did not form a part of the housing application it had to be assumed in law by the committee, and subsequently by the planning inspector, that it would remain as a community asset and a green space to be enjoyed. However, it now remains locked.

The land for housing was sold by Flowserve to C. B. Collier for £2,850,000.

The sports and social club land was bought by a company with Charles Collier as the only director for £1. The council was concerned about what the future held for the sports and social club.

The sports and social was asked to cover up to £45,000 in the first year, £55,000 in the second and £75,000 a year thereafter and the district council asked to underwrite the sums.

“We believed it was unreasonable, particularly for an asset acquired for just £1. We felt a fairer amount was £10,000,” said Mr Blaney.

“It would have been a total abuse of public money if the rental income capitalised over the period was £1.5m.”

In a tribute to its former home of 100 years, Newark and Sherwood United took The Notts Senior Cup it recently won for the first time in its history, beating a team who had won it five times in the last 11 years, to Lowfields to make the ground a part of the celebration.

Newark Town Council’s planning committee debated the application this week and could offer no objection with the precedent alreay set at the appeal but lamented the loss of the sports provision.

Mr Skinner said it represented phase one and would allow house-building to begin.