Council planners approve 150 more homes at Hucknall's former Rolls-Royce site

Housebuilder Persimmon Homes lodged the plans to Ashfield Council in August, seeking to build “high-quality housing” through a “diverse range of homes” on the former industrial land.

The plans form phase 5b of development at the Watnall Road land, with hundreds of homes and a school already delivered.

Now the authority has given approval for the 150 homes – Persimmon had initially proposed 152, but the number was reduced to “achieve an acceptable design”.

Planning papers reveal the 150 houses, accessed on Lovesy Avenue, will be split between 11 two-bedroom, 74 three-bedroom, 35 four-bedroom and 30 five-bedroom properties and include 28 ‘affordable’ homes, split equally between shared ownership and social rental houses.

In a report, the authority’s planning department said: “By virtue of the design, being back-to-back and front-to-front, the proposal has been laid out to ensure sufficient privacy and outlook.

“The development provides an acceptable standard of living for future occupiers. From the plans submitted, habitable rooms benefit from adequate lighting and outlook.

“The applicant has worked constructively to overcome issues and the revised scheme is considered to be in accordance with the wider development.”

Persimmon confirmed the homes will be sandwiched between two other small developments as part of phase 5a of the wider housing estate, which will ultimately bring more than 900 properties to the brownfield site.

Once built, the homes will be close to and visible from the existing former Rolls-Royce runway and airfield buildings, which will be preserved.

The developer says no heritage assets at the iconic site will be “negatively affected” by its plans.

In papers, Persimmon said: “This proposal will deliver high-quality housing, within well-designed streets and spaces, that are considerate to the local character.

“It delivers a diverse range of new homes to create a mixed and balanced community.

“Sustainability is at the core of this vision, therefore this scheme ensures homes are well-connected, integrated with the wider environment and strengthened by green infrastructure.

“The proposed scheme will introduce a high-quality residential scheme well-integrated into the town of Hucknall.

“It will create new pedestrian and cycle routes through the site, cater to a range of housing needs and allow for further development adjacent to the site to seamlessly integrate.”