Wilford Road Green Belt – Can you help save it?

Bloor Homes has submitted yet another revised plan for the development of Green Belt land off Wilford Road, Ruddington (formally known as RUD01 now referred to as Policy 6.1).

This time it’s a full planning application for 174 homes on the site. It’s now open for public consultation until 27th June 2019 and we urge anyone wishing to make comment to do so via the official portal here or by post to the Rushcliffe Borough Council (RBC).

The Wilford Road farmland where Bloor Homes wants to build 174 houses

It seems that Ruddington has been given another chance to save this significant piece of Green Belt land. In the shadow of the controversially approved large Asher Lane development, protecting this site which is currently used as arable farm-land – has never been more important for the village.

More detailed information about the plans can be found on the original article published by RUDDINGTON.info earlier this month.

Why is this application so bad?

Residents, community groups, MPs and the Ruddington Parish Council have campaigned for some time to stop this development based on a number of concrete arguments.

This latest attempt by the developer is arguably even more contentious because it is no longer required in order for Ruddington to meet it’s Green Belt housing quota (in fact, we would considerably exceed it) following the approval of Asher Lane. Notably, the land hasn’t actually been released by the Government’s Planning Inspectorate for development, and still may not be. The RBC is also currently consulting separately on a modification to its as part of the Local Plan 2. (Please comment by the 5th July – questioning the RBC why Ruddington’s quota for green belt housing has been raised from 350 to 525 with no consultation or review of local amenities).

Why should you object?

There are a number of reasons why you might want to object and we urge anyone who does – to make sure their objection counts by using the RBC online portal or writing to them. Below you can found some reasons we have highlighted as solid arguments AGAINST the development. While we encourage you to utilise this information – we urge you to put it in your own words for more impact and to add your own thoughts.

1. It’s Green Belt Land
   The National planning policy (the NPPF) states that ‘Green Belt boundaries should only be altered where exceptional circumstances are fully evidenced and justified’ – we do not feel this proposal is justified and there are no exceptional circumstances.
2. Green Belt Housing Quota
   With the Asher Lane Development approved, Ruddington does not require another large scale development in order to meet its housing quota. It can be more than met with the three other earmarked sites that will have less negative impact on the village.
3. Local Plan Part 2 – This land is not available!
   RBC’s Local Plan Part 2 has not yet been finalised and RUD01 has not been released for development – and may not be at all! The proposal is premature and we believe designed to confuse the public into thinking it’s a ‘done deal’ to reduce the number of objections it receives. Additionally, the Local Plan Part 2 only allows for 130 homes on this site, whilst the application proposes 174 homes (with a distinct lack of actual affordable housing). Moreover, this can only be achieved by moving Packman Dyke northwards and ‘developing’ half the former RUD02 (not in the Local Plan Part 2) into a balancing pond and flood plain/wet meadow – meaning yet more Green Belt is developed and agricultural land is lost.
4. Flooding
   The area has a history of flooding. There are concerns that development could increase the risk of flooding for nearby properties and render Sellors’ Playing Field unusable for much of the year. Furthermore, the extended development plans offer limited flood prevention solutions.
5. Rural View and Ruddington’s Last Green Gateway
   Ruddington’s rural look and feel is slowly being eroded away and this area is the last remaining true green gateway into the village so must be retained to preserve rural identity.
6. Traffic and Access
   Increased traffic for an already busy route – on top of the additional traffic travelling through the village and to the Asher Lane site would cause significant issues and danger to the area.
7. Amenities and Services
   The village amenities, facilities and services including schools and GPs are already at full capacity – and no allowances or resolutions to address this have been provided.
8. Limited Bus Service
   The seven day a week Navy 3 bus service shown in the developer’s travel plan was significantly cut back in January this year. It no longer runs on Sundays, early in the mornings nor in the evenings – meaning many householders here would not realistically be able to use public transport.
9. Coalescence
   The development of this Green Belt land would reduce the open space between the village and the City of Nottingham. This increases the risk of the two merging in the future.
10. Wildlife and Nature
    An important wildlife habitat would be lost.
    

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