Derbyshire village campaigners 'gutted' as council confirms sale of land to developer

Glapwell residents have been protesting about a plan to build 62 homes on land off Park Avenue in addition to a further 65 properties nearby, and a petition has secured the support of almost 1,200 people.

They say it will result in loss of wildlife and green space, extra traffic and a strain on already stretched village facilities.

Key to the development is a parcel of land off Park Avenue, known as the Ransom Strip, which will provide access to any development.

Bolsover District Council (BDC) has now published details of the sale of the land to developers on its website – despite Glapwell Parish Council and the campaign’s calls for this process to be delayed ‘until covenants can be added to the land to keep it as a green, open public space’.

The council’s executive has announced that ‘the sale of land at the end of Park Avenue, Glapwell, to Mr H as detailed in the report, be approved’ and ‘the request by the Parish Council to place a covenant on the land to designate it as open green space be turned down’.

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Members of the public were exempt from the executive’s discussions about the matter and the council has not responded to our request for comment.

Park Avenue Avengers campaign spokesperson Sarah Bister said the group was currently looking at its possible next steps.

"We are totally gutted about this,” she said.

"Especially when there are alternatives to the access but it seems no other option was ever considered."

Sarah added: “Stopping access was our priority, the road is totally unsuitable but the executive must have felt that the short term financial gain against this is worth more.

"Once again BDC acted in a manner displaying no transparency and openness which results in a total lack of trust, especially with the closed door meetings and delegated decisions being made due to Covid-19.”

Sarah said losing ‘the protection the strip gave the wildlife and us is a sickening feeling’.

The trees on the land are believed to be some of the oldest in the district and they are home to protected species such as bats.

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