William Davis Ltd. 'Public Consultation' and Plans to Build on our Greenbelt: 1st August Deadline

It was good to see so many members of the Radcliffe on Trent community participate in the 'public consultation' with William Davis Ltd. on the 18th July 2013. Like all good public speakers, William Davis Ltd. put on a good show about their plans and how they intend to be sympathetic to the needs of the village. It was also reassuring to hear how many of you held them to account on a whole host of issues that will have an impact upon our village community in Radcliffe on Trent. However, as a community we need to be wary of such 'public consultations' for the reasons outlined below.

Radcliffe on Trent William Davis Ltd Greenbelt Consultation Meeting July 2013

Part of the strategy for holding such 'public consultations' as the one held recently by William Davis Ltd. is to ensure that that they have fulfilled some of the initial stages of community consultation in order to place them in a more favourable position to gain planning permission. So, in speaking with us, and holding sessions such as this, when they put their application in they can state how they have consulted with the community, and will then look at some of the concerns raised to see how they can address them in order to gain planning permission. Do not be fooled.

William Davis Ltd Shelford Road Greenbelt Plans and Comments

In addition, while giving us an opportunity to complete their 'Public Exhibition Questionnaire', part of the rationale behind this is to garner opinion so that they can recognise where the points of conflict are so that they can be addressed in a way that makes it more likely for them to gain planning permission, but also to allow you let of steam and complain while you are angry.

 This has two significant results; i) you feel as though you have had your say on the matter and that your concerns will be listened to and ii) it helps in generating survey fatigue in members of the community. The direct impact here is that when Rushcliffe Borough Council begin their own public consultation, which is the one that really matters as they are the decision-makers, the Radcliffe on Trent community will feel as though they have already had their say and so not bother to register their concerns with Rushcliffe Borough Council. 

So what do we do? By all means complete the William Davis Ltd.'s 'Public Exhibition Questionnaire' (available below) and make your concerns about the plans to build on our greenbelt very clear, however do be aware that this information will be used by William Davis Ltd. to develop their application for planning permission. The only people who will see your comments will be William Davis Ltd. However, it is our recommendation that you see this as a rehearsal for the complains that we will need to put in to Rushcliffe Borough Council. So by all means complete the form below and return it via the methods outlined on the form. The deadline for this is 1st August 2013.

William Davis Ltd Radcliffe on Trent Shelford Road Greenbelt Survey

A copy of this can be down loaded for completion by clicking on the link above.

Proposed Sites for in Excess of 400 Houses: This Extends to 2055 houses

The proposed sites for building in and around Radcliffe can be identified below. From the sheer scale of this proposal, if these proposed plans are approved as they stand by Rushcliffe Borough Council, Radcliffe on Trent will grow by almost a third in size. While the proposals state a 'minimum of 400 homes', the reality is far more extensive as detailed below.

The highlighted areas under proposal include plans to build 2055 houses. This is extraordinary when considering the already heavily congested A52, the over-subscribed primary schools and our health centres inability to cope with the demand placed upon it by the current residents of Radcliffe on Trent. These sites are detailed as follows.

Site A 72 houses: Bell's Field North of Grantham Way, East of Hudson Way
Site B 1000 houses: North of Grantham Road, East of Bell's Field
Site C 87 houses: The Paddocks, South of Nottingham Road
Site D 51 houses: by Groom's Cottage, Shelford Road, East of Clumber Drive
Site E 285 houses: North of Nottingham, by RSCPA
Site F 560 houses: land at Shelford Road Farm, adjacent to site D

Totalling 2055 houses. These proposed plans will completely change the nature of our village and close-knit community.

There are already plans agreed to develop 1000 houses in Bingham, a Tesco store in Bingham (Insert Ref: 10/01853/FUL) and 500 houses in Newton are due for approval in the immediate future (Insert Ref: 10/02105/OUT). What is important to recognise is that while these plans are already approved (or about to be approved in the case of the site at Newton) the full impact of these houses have not yet been felt on the local community, its transport links or health and leisure amenities.

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Countdown to Rushcliffe Plan and End of Greenbelt Public Consultation

COUNTDOWN WIDGETS

Initial Rejection of Proposed Plans for Area North of A52: It's not over yet though

Although an initial phase of plans have been rejected by Rushcliffe Borough Council, this decision is not yet final. In these situations, the usual case is that the rejected plans will be revised and adapted to accommodate the initial opposition. As this plot of land is under consideration once more, please be vigilent and keep an eye on the Rushcliffe Borough Council website for new applications going in. The decision documents are in the public realm and can be found on the Rushcliffe Borough Council site here.

To view these plans, you need to enter the Application Code: 12/01268/OUT

Radcliffe Parish Council opposed these plans on our behalf and we thank them for that. Although somewhat troubling is the fact that only 9 members of the public raised objections. If we stand back and let them build on our Greenbelt at Radcliffe on Trent, then it is our own fault. Our local government and council is there to serve and represent us, but they can only represent us if they know how we feel about these plans as a community.

Our Councillors for the Manvers Ward are:

(James) Eddie Fearon
Party: Conservative
Ward: Manvers
Address: 19 Orford Avenue
Radcliffe on Trent
NG12 2DD
Tel: 0115 9334217
Email: Cllr.jfearon@rushcliffe.gov.uk

David Vincent Smith
Party: Conservative
Ward: Manvers
Address: 85 Whitworth Drive
Radcliffe on Trent
NG12 2ER
Email: Cllr.dsmith@rushcliffe.gov.uk