Chesterfield residents urged to fight bid to build 500 new homes, pub and school as major plans are submitted

Developers have now submitted their plans for land off Dunston Road and close to Upper Newbold, Cutthorpe and Dunston.

William Davis Homes is seeking planning permission from Chesterfield Borough Council for the development, which it says will deliver quality homes and jobs.

However, The Dunston Grange Residents’ Action Group has already been formed to oppose the plans, amid concern the new homes will merge three distinct communities on the edge of Chesterfield.

The area is a greenfield site bordered by greenbelt, and people who live nearby say they will face traffic congestion, the loss of wildlife and a strain on facilities which are already ‘overstretched’ by the nearby 106-home Strata Development and the Skylarks site of 300 homes.

David Watwood, 63, a spokesperson for the action group, urged people to make their objections clear on the council website now plans are in.

“The proposed site borders greenbelt and this development will have a massive effect in terms of light pollution, traffic pollution and increased litter, which in turn will have a negative effect on the wildlife in the greenbelt area,” he said.

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Mr Watwood says the development will ‘merge the settlements of Upper Newbold, Cutthorpe and Dunston’, which will ‘cause the loss of well-established village and community regions’.

"Instead of seeing greenery, fields, and wildlife such as buzzards soaring over the area the view will be of roofs and tarmac,” Mr Watwood said.

The action group is also concerned about traffic increasing along the already ‘dangerous’ Dunston Road.

It is anticipated that the project will create 138 jobs during the construction phase and an additional 70 jobs through a new community centre and primary school.

Planning documents say: “The proposals will help to meet strategic housing requirements in the borough, constituting a development that is sustainable which delivers economic, social and environmental benefits.”

A William Davis Homes spokesperson said: “The proposed development will include significant open space, including a new linear park and play areas, to provide an attractive environment for people in the area.

"An extensive network of local footpaths will be created and the existing footpath running from Newbold Road to Dunston Road will be retained.”

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