Bassetlaw: Council wants your views about the area’s blueprint for future development

The authority is seeking views on the possible sites for 3,573 homes and 163.6 hectres of employment land across Bassetlaw.

A consultation will take place early next year, where planners will be collecting feedback on preferred sites for new development.

The council held a first round of consultation in November 2011, during which 15,000 comments were received about many areas of where potential development could take place by 2028.

Areas idenified included Kilton Golf Course and Shireoaks Marina.

However, following further investigations and feedback from the public and landowners, the council has now removed these areas of land - and many others across Bassetlaw - from its list of potential sites.

Employment land in Worksop is now more focussed along the A57 to ease potential impact on the town’s road network, and a site also has to be big enough to accomodate a new priamary school to cope with the increase in school aged children that new housing will bring,

This next round of consultation is for the Site Allocations Preferred Options document, which sets out preferred development sites.

It includes maps of towns and villages, as well as more detailed plans for each individual site including where open space buffers will be in between developments and preferred access routes.

In Worksop, Bassetlaw Council is seeking to find land for 1,600 houses and 47 hectares for new businesses.

In Retford, the council is seeking to find land for 359 homes and 16 hectares for new business. There is one mixed use site and two housing sites in Ordsall.

In Harworth and Bircotes, the authority is wanting to find land for 1,144 houses and 101 hectares for new businesses.

In Carlton, Langold and Misterton, the council feels there is no need to allocate any new land for housing and no new sites are proposed, while in Tuxford, the council is seeking to find land for around 250 houses and includes two preferred sites within the document.

In other villages across Bassetlaw, the council is seeking to find land for around 380 houses and the details of where these will go are in the document.

Council planner Jo Davies said the developments will not just bring new homes and businesses to the area.

Developers will have to pay Section 106 money, which will go towards things such as community ammenities and improving education facilities.

But she stressed that developers will still have to go through the planning application process.

The council’s planning policy team will hold a series of consultation events in February and March next year. During this period, people are asked to comment and the document, the sites and the associated policies.

Letters and emails, with detailed comments, will be accepted during the formal consultation period of 3rd February to 31st March 2014.

For further information, residents can contact the council’s planning policy team on 01909 535151, by emailing [email protected] or visit the Queen’s Building on Potter Street, Worksop.