Chesterfield community 'concerned' after plans for more than 200 new homes are unveiled

Developer Woodall Homes has submitted a planning application to build an initial 73 properties, to be followed by up to 144 more, on land off Oaks Farm Lane, Calow.

The 8.59ha site is currently agricultural land and sits to the south of Calow, bordered by a sports pitch, other homes and more farmland.

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Planning documents submitted to North East Derbyshire District Council (NEDDC) by Woodall Homes say the proposal will deliver much-needed new homes in the ‘short term’, which the company insists is a ‘significant benefit’.

“It is clear that the application proposals will provide high quality, sustainable development delivering a mix of contemporary homes, including affordable provision, in an appropriate location to the edge of Calow,” the application adds.

"The submitted masterplan demonstrates that an attractive development can be achieved which is sensitive to its context and provides key vistas towards the surroundings.”

Community leaders say they have concerns and have called for a proper discussion about the proposal.

Calow Parish Council chair Jayne Sabido said: “The parish council naturally has concerns over such a large scale development and will be requesting in the first instance that the application is considered by the planning committee at NEDDC rather than by delegated powers.

“If the application is ultimately approved by NEDDC, we would expect that any impact on existing village infrastructure, traffic, healthcare and school places, would be mitigated by conditions attached to any planning approval.”

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Coun Sabido also called for ‘a substantial on-site affordable housing provision’, as it was historically a problem for local families to find accommodation in the village.

Calow’s district councillor, Coun Pat Kerry, also called for the application to be considered by the planning committee.

Woodall Homes says a proportion of both the 73 initial homes, and the 144 later properties, will be made up of affordable houses, and the development will ‘form a logical extension to Calow’.

The 73 homes will include detached, semi-detached and terraced houses, as well as bungalows, with a mixture of two, three and four bedrooms.

Access will be via Oaks Farm Lane, which connects to the A632 Top Road, and also via Dark Lane.

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