A campaigner fighting to protect Hucknall’s Whyburn Farm from new housing has called for better dialogue with the Ashfield Independents after the group’s landslide local election win. The political group secured 32 out of a possible 35 seats on Ashfield District Council during the May 4 election and increased its majority at the authority.
This included winning nine out of 10 seats in Hucknall despite local concerns over the group’s draft housing proposals. Councillor Phil Rostance (Con) secured the final Hucknall seat, in Hucknall West, alongside a victory for Cllr Dawn Justice (Con) in Underwood.
But Labour lost both its only seats in Hucknall South to the Independents and picked up just one victory through Cllr Cathy Mason in Carsic. One of the major issues in the election was the council’s controversial draft housing plan.
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The plan initially proposed allocating 3,000 homes in future on Whyburn Farm, a greenbelt site, and a further 1,000 houses on Sutton’s Cauldwell Road. However, strong public objections and petitions with thousands of signatures called for both sites to be dropped.
The authority eventually agreed to remove both sites and draw up a reduced document to submit to Government inspectors. The ruling independents say difficulties with the plan relate to ‘outdated’ Government housing targets requiring 8,226 homes to be built in Ashfield by 2038.
But Government reforms outlined last year suggested this could change and councils may be given more powers to determine their own housing needs. Greater protection for greenbelt sites could also be on the cards but no further details on the reforms have been published by ministers.
Speaking after the election victory, however, Cllr Lee Waters (Ash Ind), who now represents Hucknall Central, says his group’s stance on the local plan remains unchanged. He said: “The Ashfield Independents winning big strengthens the fight against and increases our resolve to stand up to the Government over enforced housing targets.”
His comments follow concerns the plans could still be on the cards after a developer brochure for the land was circulated online. The leaflets outlined plans to build homes and infrastructure on the greenbelt land and highlighted its “regeneration potential”.
However, Bloor Homes and Peveril Homes – the developers behind the plans – say these brochures were published before the site was removed from the local plan and don’t indicate a change in status for the site. But in a joint statement, they urged the authority to reconsider its decision.
They said: “This brochure was circulated to councillors whilst the site was still allocated in the draft local plan. We continue to hope Ashfield District Council reconsiders promoting this opportunity, which could bring huge infrastructure improvements, as well as regeneration potential to Hucknall town centre.”
The Ashfield Independents’ victory and the developers’ comments led a key campaigner to call for improved dialogue between residents and the council. Jemma Chambers set up the Hucknall Against Whyburn Farm Development Facebook group which campaigned to stop the plans.
Its campaign and petition garnered nearly 8,000 signatures and contributed to the decision to alter the document. She said: “The working relationship has been missing in the past but needs to be in place.
“If they can continue to hold their word and maintain Whyburn isn’t in the plan, we’re onside with that. That’s what we want. What’s happened so far is the right thing to do. You publish the plan, you go out to consultation, you listen to people, change the plan, and then it goes back out.
“They need to put their money where their mouth is because the proof is in the pudding. We’re not planning on giving in and, now we’ve got new councillors, we want to work together.”
In response, Cllr John Wilmott, who won in Hucknall North, said: “We are happy to work with anyone with the best interests of Hucknall in mind. Unfortunately, over the last 18 months, the Whyburn Farm Facebook group became a playground for politically-motivated trolls.
“We were advised to avoid it for our own mental health.” But Ms Chambers says rule changes to the group mean it will become less “inflammatory”, with no “mudslinging” posts to be approved in a bid to improve relationships on both sides
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