Newark and Sherwood District Council planning portal flooded with concerns over plans for over 20 homes down narrow lane
Multiple complaints have been lodged over plans for more than 20 homes down a narrow lane prone to accidents.
At least 40 comments of concern have been uploaded to Newark and Sherwood District Council’s planning portal over an application to build 21 eco entry-level affordable dwellings.
The plan is for land off Carlton Lane, Sutton-on-Trent, which is in flood zone three — the most at risk of flooding.
Most residents of Carlton Lane stated the lane had already been subjected to many crashes and that it was a struggle for them to get down there due to it being a no-through road.
Lisa Hutchinson thinks the development would also affect her business. She said: “I have my business from home, Willow Holistics, and the proposed entrance, to be outside our house, would cause restrictions to access and disrupt my business.”
Neighbour Kerry Sambridge said with more homes came more children, and that the primary school wouldn’t be able to cope.
Roscoe Fernandes said he moved to Sutton-on-Trent for the village-feel and open space it provides, and that affordable housing wasn’t required in that area.
“Strawberry Fields [housing estate] will have already allowed for a proportion of affordable housing,” he said.
Resident Gary Pearson highlighted flood concerns and said: “If the building took place I believe the residents on Carlton Lane would suffer greatly from increased flooding as the land that soaks away a lot of the water would be build on — this issue can be seen from the recent building on Strawberry Fields.”
Clare Pailing said the build would put an end to villagers’ safe and pleasant strolls.
She said: “As residents of the village and frequent users of Carlton Lane, we [know] many residents use this lane for cycling with children, walking dogs, walking with elderly and elderly using mobility scooters.
“Most households now have two vehicles, so this would potentially mean 42 new vehicles and their visitors’ vehicles and delivery vehicles, which would significantly increase the traffic on this lane — putting an end to pleasant and safe strolls in this area.”
The Environment Agency objected to the plan over the absence of a flood risk assessment, while conservation officers said it would cause harm to the setting of the conservation area — which includes the grade I listed Church of All Saints and grade II listed building The Grange.
“There is evidence of prehistoric settlement in the area,” says the conservation report. “Finds dredged from the river at Sutton-on-Trent include fossilised mammoth’s teeth and tusks.
“Spot finds on the NMR include Roman and Anglo Saxon pottery. The former medieval village at Meering on the opposite side of the Trent appears to have been lost during the medieval period, perhaps as part of a change in course of the Trent (there was a ferry crossing on the Trent to the southeast of the village). Crop marks within the proposal site are suggestive of early settlement. The proposal is considered to cause harm to the setting of the conservation area.”
The district council will decide the fate of the application.
