Derbyshire village feels “picked on” by developers as plans for 60 more homes set for approval

Derbyshire Dales District Council officers have recommended that plans for 60 homes south of Main Road in Brailsford, opposite an existing newbuild estate, are approved.

The scheme, from landowner Tom Goodall, would see the 60 homes built on a plot currently being considered for 53 homes by the district council in its future housing blueprint – its Local Plan.

Meanwhile, the 60 homes would serve as an extension to a 75-home scheme off Main Road which was rejected by the council in September 2023 and approved by a Government inspector in September 2024.

Councillors had also rejected plans for 100 homes on the same site in March 2023, which had been narrowed down to the 75-home scheme across half of the original landmass.

If approved by the district council in the next week, this could see Mr Goodall having 135 homes approved on the same overall site on which 100 homes had been rejected.

Residents said they felt “picked on” by developers earlier this year, claiming “democracy has left us” and resigning themselves to the fact that more homes being approved against their wishes was inevitable.

Council officials, recommending approval, say that the benefits of the new homes, including 18 properties badged as affordable housing, are enough to outweigh the negative impacts.

This includes the site being outside of the Brailsford settlement boundary, in the open countryside, due to a proven and evidenced unmet housing need within the district – which the Local Plan seeks to solve.

Officers write: “It is recognised that the proposal would result in a number of adverse effects. “These principally comprise the loss of a greenfield site and the associated encroachment of built development into the countryside, together with resultant harm to the character and appearance of the local landscape.

“In addition, the development would give rise to a degree of harm to the setting of nearby heritage assets and would introduce increased levels of activity, movement and domestic paraphernalia into an area that is presently undeveloped.

“Against this, the proposal would deliver a number of significant public benefits. Most notably, it would provide up to 60 new dwellings, making a meaningful contribution towards meeting the district’s identified housing needs and boosting the supply of market and affordable housing.”

A total of 18 residents submitted objection letters to the council over the scheme, focusing on existing congestion on the A52, road safety concerns, overdevelopment, building outside of the settlement boundary, an “unplanned lopsided expansion”, impact on listing buildings, flooding and overwhelmed sewage capacity.

In March this year, a further Government inspector approved plans for 70 homes off Throstle Nest Way, following a council rejection in February 2025 and mass objections, including from the area’s MP, John Whitby.

In that decision, inspector C Harding accepted the area’s frequent flooding issues and inadequate sewer network, but said it was not for new developments to solve existing problems.