Watch as residents stage protest over plans for massive 1,800 housing development in Derbyshire village

Proposals for Clowne Garden Village have been floated since 2018 and Bolsover District Council is currently considering updated information from, developers, Waystone in May of this year.

The plans would see 1,800 residential dwellings built alongside other community and commercial facilities - something that would increase the size of the existing village by more than 50%.

Now a group of protesters from the Clowne Garden Village action group have demonstrated outside the Council’s offices in Clowne as a means to voice their concerns.

Don Webb, chair of the Clowne Garden Village action group, told the Derbyshire Times: “It’s going to impact all the infrastructure, we’re going to need new primary schools, extensions building to the secondary schools, the roadwork can’t handle the new 3,500 cars that will be on the roads and the medical centres will be overwhelmed with the approximately 23,000 extra appointments every year.

“We don’t want the houses and they need to come up with a better plan.”

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Recent changes to the submissions have seen the developers allowed to reduce their affordable housing contribution from 10% of the total dwellings to just 5%.

This was one of a number of reasons put forward by Clowne Parish Council as to why they ‘wholeheartedly object’ to the plans.

In a written statement, the parish council added: “We demand that [Bolsover District Council] refuse to progress this outline planning application.”

Meanwhile Barlborough parish councillor David Dixon said: “We’re already getting another 650 houses down at Mastin Moor, another 400 down at Whithwell - 1,800 houses here is going to be a nightmare.

“This is a really, really bad deal for Balborough and god knows what it’s going to do for Clowne. For us it’s an absolute disaster.”

Both Waystone and the council have already been consulting with residents in Clowne and Barlborough as well as with a large number of organisations including National England, the Coal Authority, the Environment Agency, Highways England, Yorkshire Water, Derbyshire County Council and others.

During initial proposals Waystone acknowledged some opposition but also pointed out that a good number of people were supportive and positive about the plans and welcomed the potential for economic growth, jobs and facilities.

As previously reported, concerned Barlborough resident Dee Dell said: “Locals agree that housing is needed, but should be affordable and built on properly cleaned-up brownfield sites. This farmland is the wrong place for more factories, a hotel and restaurant, all of which the developer wants to build.

Those wishing to find out more concerning the planning application can do so by visiting Bolsover District Council’s website quoting Planning Application 17/00640/OUT, and they can submit views by emailing or writing to Bolsover District Council quoting the same application reference.

Over 1,000 comments have been received since proposals were first submitted in 2018 - many of which have been angry objections.

Other possible plans across Bolsover include the next phase of the 950-home Bolsover North development at Marlpit Lane, the proposed Whitwell Tip development of 400 homes and six hectares of employment land, as well as the construction of Shirebrook Crematorium.