Hucknall: Whyburn and Misk Hills country park motion tabled by councillors - but cost could be huge

Couns Lee Waters and Dave Shaw (both Ash Ind), have put forward the motion to be addressed at the full council meeting on September 29.

This comes following a campaign instigated by town MP Michelle Welsh (Lab) to have both Whyburn and Misk Hills declared as country parks to save them from the threat of development.

Ms Welsh said the Ashfield Independents were ‘a bit late to the party’ and that if they hadn’t scrapped the original local plan in the first place, Hucknall wouldn’t be in this situation now.

Nevertheless, she welcomed the move as another step towards protecting the town’s green belt.

Already, plans for 100 houses on Misk Hills have been rejected by councillors and the developers have now appealed to the Government’s Planning Inspectorate.

Proposals for up to 3,000 new homes on the green belt land at Whyburn are currently being consulted on, amid the continued backlash from residents and members of campaign group Hucknall Against Whyburn Farm Development, who want the land protected forever.

But with the council’s draft local plan – which doesn’t include either area – still not officially in place, both areas are vulnerable to planning applications.

Making both areas a country park would safeguard them from development and a council officer comfirmed the authority does have the powers to do this under the Countryside Act 1968.

However, to do this, the council must own the land and that represents a huge hurdle for the process as buying it back could cost a huge sum of money and officers couldn’t comment on how much money would be involved.

But Coun Waters said: “Whyburn Farm is over 207 hectares (512 acres) and I imagine the developer will value it at potential development value, not farm value, especially if they think they can appeal or wait for future planning.

"If the land is valued as development land, the cost is eye-watering – the council could face demands well into tens if not hundreds of millions.

"If valued as farmland, the price is much lower, though still running into millions.

As a result, Coun Waters said Hucknall councillors were now calling on Ms Welsh to get the Government to deliver funding for the project.

However, this adds another layer of complication as the Government’s policy is to build more houses – increasing the pressure on sites like Whyburn.

But the minister who was driving that policy forward, former deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner MP (Lab), has now resigned as Housing Secretary and her replacement Steve Reed (Lab) has not yet indicated whether he will pursue such an aggressive housing policy.

Nevertheless, despite the financial uncertainties involved, Coun Waters said they would still be tabling their motion for next week’s council meeting and called it ‘a huge step forward for Hucknall’.

He said: "The people have spoken loud and clear, they want Whyburn Farm saved for future generations, not handed over to developers.

“However, the council doesn’t own the land, so we can’t just declare it a country park tomorrow.

"First, we need to secure the site and that’s why we need the Government and our MP to deliver the funding and long-term backing to make Hucknall’s country park happen.

“Previously, Labour cancelled Hucknall’s levelling-up funding, which was a real blow.

"So, I hope the MP is able to secure her Government’s backing to protect our local green spaces and help us deliver a lasting country park for our families, wildlife, and community.

"The MP has backed this pledge, so we hope she will now work with us to make it happen.”

Ms Welsh replied: “I’ve been calling for the protection of Whyburn Farm and Misk Hills since becoming Hucknall’s MP.

“The Ashfield Independents are a bit late to the party on this.

"The motion put forward doesn’t actually ask me to do anything different to what I am already doing.

Even though neither Coun Waters, nor Coun Shaw signed my pledge to make Whyburn Farm and Misk Hills a country park, I welcome the fact that the councillors now agree with my campaign.

“Let’s be honest – if the Ashfield Independents hadn’t scrapped the local plan in the first place, we wouldn’t be in this situation where sites like Whyburn Farm are left vulnerable.

“As I have previously said, I’m happy to work with anyone to ensure we protect this area and continue to push for a country park with ministers.

"Rest assured, I will keep working hard with residents to deliver real protection for Whyburn Farm and Misk Hills, not just more political posturing.”