Plans for 150 houses on a former Derbyshire colliery are set for approval after two years in limbo. The scheme, from Harworth Group, would see 150 houses built on the northern side of the former Cadley Hill Colliery, located between Newhall, Stanton and Swadlincote.
It would be accessed via Park Road and the newly-built 68-home Cameron Homes development, close to the Garden King garden centre. The 150 homes represent a major change to South Derbyshire District Council’s long-held masterplan for the site, which had totalled 600 homes on the former Cadley Park site.
Harworth’s plan is for the homes to sit south of Fairfield Crescent, Woodview Road and Baslow Green in Newhall, bordering the new golf course and country park – the wider part of the Cadley Park development. District council officers have recommended that the plans are approved two years after they were submitted in January 2023, with officials detailing: “The site is located outside the settlement boundary but given the location and context of the site, it is considered to be spatially sustainable to acceptably accommodate the proposed development, and it will not give rise to unacceptable impacts to the countryside.
“The number of units proposed (up to 150) is considered to be a significant benefit as it will assist the council in meeting its housing targets and maintain a five-year housing supply. The benefits of the scheme in terms of S106 financial contributions are considered to be significant and the provision of affordable housing and open space are also significant benefits.”
One objection letter has been submitted to the council by a member of the public, raising issues over the overuse of a public footpath, the increase in road traffic on the A444 and in Park Road, and pressure on GP services and local schools. Meanwhile, Andrew Reeves, the headteacher of Fairmeadows Primary School, in Fairfield Crescent and Oversetts Road, says the school is already over capacity by 19 pupils, with Government records showing a capacity of 210 pupils.
The proposed plans would fill in a gap between two housing developments and bring housing right up to the boundary of the golf course
(Image: Pegasus Group)
He says there are plans for a two-classroom extension to replace classrooms which are too small and asks that developer contributions are directed towards funding that scheme. Mr Reeves writes that three times the national average number of pupils with special educational needs attend the school and that funding assistance for these pupils – through wider educational facilities for those with sensory needs – would also be welcomed.
Derbyshire County Council says the needs of the primary school should be assessed for support, with increasing places and supporting children with special educational needs. District council officers suggest £710,173.80 is given for primary school improvements and up to £118,526.25 for SEN provision across South Derbyshire.
The county council’s public rights of way officer has objected to the plans, writing that existing footpaths should be retained and upgraded instead of removing them and installing a new shared cycling and footpath “alongside the busiest road on the development”. The Open Spaces Society has also objected to the plans, writing: “There will be a reduction in green space in the area, the golf course has been reduced in size; and the promised country park is now shrinking.”
Houses could be built in this field to the rear of Fairfield Crescent
(Image: Derby Telegraph)
It also asks that e-scooters should be banned from all shared routes within the development. District council planners, recommending approval, wrote: “The housing proposed here would be located adjacent to the settlement of Swadlincote which is an urban area and a main focus of services and amenities within South Derbyshire.
“There have been no objections from social infrastructure providers or highways. On this basis, the site is considered to be sustainable and capable of accommodating the proposed development.”
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