Plans for 160 homes on former Derbyshire prisoner of war camp turned industrial estate approved

On Monday, December 1, Amber Valley Borough Council approved plans from Garner Holdings to build 160 homes – including 45 classed as affordable housing – on the Firs Works site in Spanker Lane, Nether Heage, which was also formerly the PoW camp ‘Camp 58’ during the Second World War.

This brings an end to the wrangle over the industrial site, which has been stretching on for the best part of a decade due to the feared impact of the proposals on the surrounding Green Belt and road safety issues on the steep and narrow Spanker Lane, which does not have a pavement.

No development will take place in the Green Belt, and over time, the plans have been reduced slightly from 175 homes, and a caged “MUGA” play area has been scrapped in lieu of standard open play equipment.

At the meeting, frustrated residents, 68 of which had filed objection letters to the council, threatened legal action should anyone come to harm on the roads past the site as a result of the development.

They reiterated significant concerns over road safety for children walking to school and from heavy industrial vehicles on the steep sloping route, alongside existing recurring flooding issues.

Cllr Amina Burslem said the housing plans were “better than the monolith that is the Firs Works, it is better to have homes instead”, but wanted more trees and hedges.

She said accessibility remained an issue despite a new footpath link to nearby homes in Crich Lane, with the hamlet isolated from Ambergate to the West and Belper to the East.

Cllr Paul Lobley said he had been contacted by a resident who lived opposite the proposed new footpath who was not happy with what they perceived to be a breach of privacy into their living room.

He said he advised the resident that if they “dropped a few quid to the JCB driver the gap could be made in the existing hedge a few feet up”.

Cllr Lobley said this would be “illegal of course”.

He said he welcomed the new homes as a contribution towards the borough’s housing target and hoped the developers did in fact build the promised 45 affordable properties and would not look kindly on them later, potentially “pleading” against it.

Cllr Lobley also said: “Residents are already concerned about flooding and they have been flooded again and again and again.”

Dee Collins, the former chief constable of West Yorkshire Police until 2019, who lives in Nether Heage, told the meeting that surrounding homes were already flooding with sewage due to insufficient drainage systems and heavy rainfall.

She said the existing drainage pond on the site frequently flooded, affecting nearby homes, and that she feared the new one to be built as part of the homes scheme would not be managed after five years.

Ms Collins said: “I don’t see how the infrastructure is going to cope with another 160 homes with 160 dishwashers and 160 washing machines.”

Alison Henry said Spanker Lane had already become a “dangerous rat run” for surrounding traffic and that the “isolated” estate would “force people into their cars”.

Dale Pride told the meeting: “Highways have no complaints. They should walk this route themselves with a tape measure and they will see the problem.

“Any of the brakes fail on those construction vehicles and you will have a 70-tonne missile hurtling down the hill. Somebody is going to die.

“The committee is on notice that they will be prosecuted should that happen and that they knew about the concerns and ignored them.”

Jamie Pyper, agent for the applicants, said “significant perseverance” had brought the application to the final stage of approval and that concerns from residents related to issues that had already been signed off by expert authorities and earlier stages of planning.

He said: “This is a well-considered and compatible form of development and improvement on the existing situation, which is an unrestricted B2 (industrial) unit.

Cllr Eva Long said: “Our hands are tied on all of these issues and we can’t object because there are no objections from highways and statutory consultees. If we object on those issues there is the potential for us to face legal procedures through appeal.”

Cllr Philip Rose said: “It looks like a bit of a virus to me. It is planned on a brownfield site, which is absolutely reasonable but there are too many properties and I can’t see how it can be sustainable.

“If this is the best we can do, we are really living in a poor world.

“You can see the problems adding up. I can see it becoming an estate nobody wants to live on.”

Cllr Trevor Ainsworth suspected all of the new homes would be “wet through”, “like they (the existing homes) have been for years”.

Cllr Chris Emmas-Williams, council leader, said: “I have a lot of sympathy for the residents, but as with all applications, we have to consider the legal arguments, and Derbyshire County Council flooding and highways have not objected. We have to abide by the rules.

“I do welcome the 30 per cent affordable housing, and as far as I am concerned, that commitment is sacrosanct. If they come back wanting less then this will be sustained.”

The plans were approved by eight votes for, none against and three abstentions.