More than 230 new homes earmarked for Linby

An official planning application has been submitted for a new housing estate that could triple the size of Linby.
Ben Smith, who is the East Midlands sales director for Bellway.Ben Smith, who is the East Midlands sales director for Bellway.
Ben Smith, who is the East Midlands sales director for Bellway.

National housebuilder Bellway has submitted plans to Gedling Borough Council for a total of 237 new homes.

They would be built on a 15-hectare site of what is predominantly farmland to the north of Papplewick Lane.

The scheme will now be considered by council officers and councillors before a final decision is made later this year.

The new development would feature a range of three, four and five-bedroomed properties and could include a primary school too. Almost five hectares have also been reserved for a new ecology park, and three more acres for public open space.

Outline planning permission for the development of the Linby site was granted back in October 2015 as Gedling Council aimed to fulfil demands by the government to build 7,250 new homes by the year 2028.

Although the scheme has met with opposition from residents of Linby and Papplewick Lane, Bellway’s sales director for the East Midlands, Ben Smith, insisted it would be an asset to the Hucknall district.

“We know there is a substantial demand for homes in this area,” said Mr Smith. “We have tried to incorporate a wide range of house types, and we feel the development would provide a home for buyers on all rungs of the property ladder.

“Our plans have been inspired by the knowledge we have built up from our previous developments in Nottinghamshire, including Abbey Fields, which is just down the road on Nottingham Road in Hucknall.

“We’re delighted to continue our work in the area and we’re looking forward to working alongside Gedling Borough Council.”

WHEN plans to build more than 200 new homes in Linby were first unveiled three years ago, they met with fierce opposition from villagers and other residents.

They feared the development would irrevocably change the identity of Linby which, at the time, had only 84 residential properties, and create infrastructure problems, such as traffic congestion.

The opponents were backed by Sherwood’s Conservative MP, Mark Spencer, who was annoyed that Gedling Borough Council were targeting sites in and around Hucknall, given that the town was part of Ashfield, rather than Gedling.