Backing for more homes
More sites for housing will be needed so young people growing up in Newark and Sherwood will be able to find homes in the district.
So says Mr Jim Gould, the chairman of Fernwood Parish Council.
Mr Gould said he would support plans for land around Fernwood becoming an additional growth area, even though there would be an impact on its rural setting.
He said more development was needed to ensure a prosperous future for the next generation.
“The younger generation is asking what is being done to protect their future,” he said.
Newark and Sherwood District Council has earmarked land north of Fernwood from the A1 to the East Coast mainline, and land to the south of Fernwood, between the A1 and the border with Lincolnshire, as a potential strategic site for growth.
Land behind Newark’s Beacon Heights estate, between the East Coast mainline and the A1, has also been put forward as a potential site for growth.
The sites are in addition to land south of Newark, where the council’s Growth Point ambitions have been centred.
Up to 6,000 homes are being planned there by the Catesby Property Group.
The council emphasises that it does not expect all three sites will be needed.
It has to identify areas that can accommodate the large-scale, sustainable growth required to meet the Government’s target of 17,800 extra homes in the district by 2026.
Mr Gould said having a larger community would give Fernwood greater political power.
“From that point of view it is positive,” he said.
He said it would mean a re-marking of political boundaries, with the potential for Fernwood to become a district ward. It is currently part of the Farndon ward.
Mr Gould said what concerned residents most was the quality of houses that would be built.
“We don’t want to become a second rate housing development,” he said.
Mr Gould said for growth areas to be sustainable more businesses needed to be attracted into the area to provide jobs for all the new people who would move in.
The district council is planning for an increase in employment land of between 30 and 50 hectares.
As well as the three strategic growth sites, the council is canvassing opinion in four key areas.
These are set out in a consultation document called Key Decisions For Our Core Strategy, which can be viewed online or at libraries across the district and at Kelham Hall.
It will shape the council’s Local Development Framework, which will act as a guide for all future development in Newark and Sherwood up to 2026.
One of the key areas is identifying suitable locations for growth.
As well as Newark and Balderton, where most of the growth will take place, the council has identified a number of other areas where growth could be supported.
These include Ollerton and Boughton and, to a lesser extent, Southwell.
The council has also highlighted principal villages including Collingham, Sutton-on-Trent and Farnsfield where there are facilities such as schools and doctors’ surgeries.
These villages will be assessed to see if they are suitable areas for growth.
Other key areas are preparing for climate change, protecting the natural and built heritage of the district and the future of Sherwood Forest.
l As part of its planning for new housing, the district council has surveyed landowners to find out what sites may be available.
More than 380 sites have been put forward.
The public can have their say on these sites from the end of the month.