Put homes on hold

There are calls for a document that proposes the building of almost 300 homes in Southwell to be scrapped.

Councillors Mr Peter Harris, Mr Brendan Haigh and Mrs Pauline Jenkins plan to call into question the validity of Newark and Sherwood District Council’s Core Strategy.

The document covers expansion and development up to 2026 and sets out 294 homes for Southwell.

The document was in response to the Government’s Regional Spatial Strategy, which imposed housing targets on councils.

Mr Harris said it was indicated in the Queen’s speech, at the state opening of Parliament on Tuesday, that the spatial strategy, which required the district council to build 14,800 homes by 2026, would be axed.

He said although the spatial strategy was being axed he did not know whether the district council would shelve its Core Strategy.

Southwell Town Council was last night due to consider whether Mr Harris, Mr Haigh and Mrs Jenkins — all town and district councillors — should put forward a motion at district level to suspend the Core Strategy’s progress.

The document was discussed at a public meeting organised by the town council on Monday.

Mr Harris said one member of the public at that meeting pointed out that the number of houses proposed for Southwell for the next 20 years was more than the number built in the last 15.

He said: “In the last 15 years we have had a lot of expansion on the Merryweather estate and Halam Road and the number proposed is reduced from the large number suggested by the district council in the original document, but it will still be a very significant expansion.”

Mr Harris said residents were concerned there was no plan to allow development in stages.

He said building larger, more expensive homes in Southwell would be more attractive to developers than building smaller homes elsewhere in the district.

“Some residents are saying we could get 290 houses all at once,” Mr Harris said.

Concerns were raised that The Minster School would have to reduce its catchment area to cope with the increase in pupils living in the town.

A spokesman for the district council said it would continue to progress the Core Strategy as there was support and need for new housing.

It has extended the period of representation on the document by one week to June 8.

Consultees will be informed of the extra time to respond.