Any further thoughts on Bevercotes for development? A large flat area from the old railway sidings and mine site?
Bevercotes is mostly covered by Local Wildlife Sites and Tree Preservation Orders, and contains habitats where protected bird species breed and forage so is not appropriate for development. The site has planning permission for employment use. This was granted before changes to national policy which give greater weight to Local Wildlife Sites. The planning permission can be delivered but the Council consider other development is contrary to national legislation and national policy so would be inappropriate.
Re the Hallcroft allotments and the Sandhills are they protected permanently or just during the plan period 2037?
The sites are protected as allotments and open space respectively. National policy provides the framework that would need to be considered should anyone wish to develop open space/allotments. It's difficult to say what will be in national policy in the future or what will be in the next plan after 2037 because we know the Government are planning to change the planning system.
On the Elizabethan site there is also an existing entrance on Leafield so why is the proposal just to use the West Furlong entrances?
That is the current position of the Highways Authority. If you have alternative views please let us know and we can discuss this with the Highways Authority.
If there is a shortage of sites in Retford has the consultation/research etc that has been undertaken included detail about unused properties across the town/ Is this research available for sharing?
The Council can only assess the suitability of sites for other uses if the landowner tells us they are available for development. At this point none of the underused properties that are being referred to have been put forward as available. The sites that have been assessed are in the Land Availability Assessment at Land Availability Assessment.
There has been reference to a Care Home several times throughout the presentation, has the research shown a need for this type of service in the Retford area?
The Care Home referred to is at the Trinity Farm site – the part of the site with planning permission. The proposal for older people's housing and extra care housing at Ordsall has the in principle support of Nottinghamshire County Council, subject to details being agreed.
There is currently a very poor bus service in the Retford area that enables people to get to the Primary Care Centre on North Road, will this be addressed in the Local Plan? Also additional support when new developments are planned/delivered?
Larger new development can contribute to a subsidised bus service to support the extension of a bus service into a new development for a period of time. This will be the case at Ordsall where it is a requirement of the development. Contributions to bus services may also be sought at Trinity farm and Fairy Grove but this needs to be confirmed with the provider.
Ordsall South - Who will produce the masterplan - will it be developers and or Bassetlaw Council?
The site promoters and/or a developer.
The enclosed area HS8 has 5 dwellings capacity - would better access allow more dwellings? Is there any desire for this on HS8?
At this point the Highways Authority say that only 5 dwellings can be accessed from the current access to HS8. Should more land be available the capacity could be increased.
Retford Roundabout is the only route to and from HS7, HS8, HS9 and HS10 to the rest of Retford, Gainsborough, the A1 S and Worksop. Are there any detailed transport mitigation plans to help new residents on these sites travel by car or bike to the locations I’ve listed please?
An important part of the Local Plan is making sure that all sites can be accessed on foot/cycle. Travel Plans will be used to ensure that developers think about sustainable transport first rather than the car. This is really important for local journeys. All transport mitigation for Retford is listed in Policy ST56 of the Local Plan.
Employment growth for Retford is shown as 11.11 hectares, all at Trinity Park. How does this compare as a percentage of Bassetlaw’s total Employment aim?
11.11ha of new employment development is promoted in Retford but the Local plan supports the growth and redevelopment of the town centre and also protects existing employment areas such as West Carr for business use so that local businesses can start and grow or provide space for new businesses to invest. The Plan needs to make sure that existing employment land is used positively and that new sites are not identified that may not be attractive to the market.
The employment strategy for the District focuses employment growth (not just new sites) in the three towns of Worksop, Retford and Harworth and along the strategic A1/A57 corridors. This is in response to market demand.
Last Updated on Wednesday, May 8, 2024