Neighbours have criticised plans to demolish a historic village home to build shops and apartments as "disgusting". The plan to demolish the existing house and outbuildings on Main Street, Calverton and redevelop the site with three retail units and eight apartments has been recommended for approval at Gedling Borough Council's planning committee on July 28.
The site is currently occupied by a single vacant home with a roughly L-shaped footprint to the east of the Grade II* listed St Wilfrids Church and the west of Calverton Library. The area is currently overgrown with vegetation and trees.
Block A, a two-storey development of two retail units at ground floor with two flats above would be located on the southern boundary of the site fronting Main Street. Block B, a three-storey development of one retail unit at ground floor and six flats above, would be located adjacent to the northern boundary of the site, with the area between the blocks utilised as 13 car parking spaces.
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Rob Pugh, who lives just across from the site on Main Street, thought the plans were "disgusting". "I'm seething about it all, it is disgusting. It will not fit in with the landscape at all," Mr Pugh said.
"Its as if the planning officer has ignored what we have said, and what Historic England and Mark Spencer have said by recommending it. The church is listed and so is the building opposite.
"It was a perfectly functioning house before it was left to go to ruin about 10 years ago.
"There has been limited anti-social behaviour there, less than in the precinct. But they are going to extend the precinct with this which will make it worse."
A concerned neighbour, who did not want to be named, said: "In terms of issues, it is a bit of everything - you have the history of the building and then you have what is going up, which is not in keeping with the area.
"You get a lot of cars parking around here instead of the precinct if they're staying for longer than two hours. It's going to bring an increase in traffic and risk of accidents.
"It's going to put more of a strain on this part of the village, why can't new shops be built with the new houses. It will put more and more pressure on this part of the village.
"There are many other things that can be done. Demolishing it might set a precedent."
Historic England has previously raised concerns that demolition of the building would "result in the loss of an historic building that contributes to townscape and along with the degradation of the verdant nature of the site". They warned it would "seriously erode" the character of the conservation area and the setting of the highly graded church.
Calverton Parish Council has also opposed the demolition of the property, stating it should be retained because it is to "key to the aesthetics of the village". Their objection added: "This is a property within the Conservation Area of historic interest being part of a long gone village community of stocking frame knitters within a rural farming village. This property is key to the aesthetics of the village due to its prominent location and should be retained and returned to a residence or converted into three smaller starter properties with parking and gardens".
Bill Wright, 84, a retiree who regularly visits the village, had a different opinion to neighbouring residents. "I can't see there being much point having a historic building if you can't see it through all the greenery.
"It's a odd one, because it's a growing place with a lot of new houses, but these shops won't be near them. Something needs to done with it though."
Aside from the site's historic importance, Mark Spencer, MP for Sherwood expressed concerns about infrastructure around the property. "There is not enough parking for both residents and visitors to the shops. Cars increasingly park on both sides of Main Street which is causing problems. The parking will just be taken up by residents thereby limiting the amount of people that can and will use them to visit the shops," Mr Spencer said.
But other bodies have highlighted the potential social and economic benefits of the project. According to planning documents, the area's empty homes officer labelled the antisocial behaviour around the property a "burden" for locals. The officer added the behaviour had put a strain on the council's neighbourhood wardens, who have had to carry out extra patrols in the area.
Gedling Borough Council's Economic Development Team welcomed the development of the site, which it said would add to Calverton's "growing settlement" and "well used and served" village centre. They added the site was difficult to develop and that the applicant STAMP Developments Ltd had made efforts to make the two blocks attractive to occupants.
A Gedling Borough Council report, which recommended the plan be approved, said: "By virtue of the site being identified as an expansion to the local centre it is inevitable that additional built form would be introduced to the site in closer proximity to the conservation area and the setting of the listed church. In this case it is considered that the public benefits outweigh the less than substantial harm to the setting of the heritage assets."
Guy Taylor Associates on behalf of STAMP Developments, in a planning document, said: "In this case and as set out previously, the proposal will bring public benefit which will demonstrably outweigh the ‘Less than substantial harm’ as identified within the Heritage Impact Assessment. These public benefits include;
"The securing of a viable use for the site which has previously lain empty and although marketed a number of times not inhabited or developed. The potential to construct something which makes a positive aesthetic contribution in place of a derelict site which detracts from the character of the village.
"The opportunity to align the use of the site with the policies that are covered by the ‘village centre’ designation. Providing opportunity for the village centre shopping offer to increase to cope with the additional housing planned for the village. An opportunity to provide additional residential units at the centre of the village where services are provided rather than at the fringes of the settlement where a reliance on the car is increased."
