BREAKING NEWS: Tempers flare as council meet to decide Amber Valley housing sites

The night’s events were described as possibly ‘one of the most important meetings the Borough Council has had in its 40-year history’ by Mayor of Amber Valley John Walker as key decisions were made on the proposed locations for the development of thousands of homes across Amber Valley to finalise the authority’s strategy for housing until 2028.

Members voted to put the following sites forward for development recommendation: Radbourne Lane, Mackworth; Kedleston Road, Quarndon; Chesterfield Road, Alfreton; Somercotes Hill, Somercotes; Lily Street Farm, Derby Road Swannick; Derwent Street, Belper; Bulsmoor, Belper; Amber Heights, Ripley; Asher Lane, Ripley; Butterley Hall, Ripley.

The site controversially dubbed toxic at Lower Somercotes has not been included in the plan, neither has the Bradshaw Avenue site, Riddings; Pottery Farm, Belper or Hall Road, Langley Mill.

The meeting was not without incident as midway through Conservative Councillor Jane Orton stormed out after being denied the opportunity to speak her views on the decision to recommend development on the Kedleston Road site at Quarndon.

She said: “I’m going home. What’s the point in being here if I cant represent my constituents.”

Councillor Orton was then followed out of the meeting by several irate members of the public, with one speaker angrily shouting: “This is a shambles, why allow us to speak when you’ve already made up your minds?”.

Full figures on the number of homes being earmarked for development and reaction from campaigners, Amber Valley Borough Councillors and local MPs to follow tomorrow morning and throughout the week.