Plans for 160 homes at former Derbyshire World War Two prisoner of war camp submitted

Garner Holdings is seeking to tie up the final details of plans to build 160 homes on the Firs Works site in Spanker Lane, Nether Heage, three years after finally gaining outline approval.

A reserved matters application to seal the development of the site has now been submitted to Amber Valley Borough Council.

The council had granted permission for 160 homes on the site in June 2020 after years of to-ing and fro-ing over the site, including reducing the scheme from 175 homes, not including any development on the protected Green Belt and not including a planned village hall building.

Garner Holdings writes in its new application documents: “The proposed development will deliver much-needed housing and affordable housing in a high-quality scheme on a site.

“The proposed development will constitute sustainable development and will contribute to economic, social and environmental objectives.

“The benefits that will result from the development include the supply of housing as well as the relocation of existing industrial activities which are not well suited to the surrounding area which is predominantly in residential use.”

The overall plan will see several businesses on the site move to new plots elsewhere in the borough.

Of the 160 homes planned for the 22-acre site, 48 would be affordable housing, of which 80 per cent (38 homes) would be marketed for affordable rent (80 per cent of the local market rate) and 20 per cent (10 homes) would be “intermediate housing” (below market rate but higher than social housing prices).

Among the 160 homes, eight would be one-bed properties, 20 would be two-bed, 43 would be three-bed, 76 would be four-bed and 13 would be five-bed. In total, the site would have 400 parking spaces with an average of two per home. A decision will be made by the borough council in the next few months.

To offset the impact of the 160-home plans on local schools, Derbyshire County Council had asked for nearly £1.5 million for extra spaces at Swanwick Hall School and Heage Primary School.