'People in Hucknall have really cared about it': Whyburn Farm campaigners proud as petition against 3,000 homes on green belt handed in to Ashfield District Council

Campaigners against controversial proposals to build 3,000 new homes on Hucknall green belt at Whyburn Farm have handed in their petition to Ashfield District Council.
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Members of the group Hucknall Against Whyburn Farm Development handed over a paper petition to a governance officer at the council with more than 4,000 signatures on it.

Those numbers, combined with more than 3,000 that have signed the group’s online petition, takes the total number of signatures to more than 7,000.

Mandy Shaw, the driving force behind the petition for the group, said: “It feels brilliant to have handed it in, it’s good to get it all done and dusted.

Campaigners outside Ashfield District Council's offices before the petition was handed inCampaigners outside Ashfield District Council's offices before the petition was handed in
Campaigners outside Ashfield District Council's offices before the petition was handed in

"We’ve got around 7,500 signatures which is brilliant.

"We’d love to have got up to the 10,000 but we’ve only had six weeks to get all this together and everyone has really pulled out the stops.

"There are people in the group who’ve been out every night getting signatures, people in Hucknall have really cared about it.

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Hucknall Against Whyburn Farm Development campaign group members Mandy Shaw (left) and Jemma Chambers (right), together with campaigners against proposed developments on Cauldwell Road in Sutton-in-Ashfield also handing in their petitionHucknall Against Whyburn Farm Development campaign group members Mandy Shaw (left) and Jemma Chambers (right), together with campaigners against proposed developments on Cauldwell Road in Sutton-in-Ashfield also handing in their petition
Hucknall Against Whyburn Farm Development campaign group members Mandy Shaw (left) and Jemma Chambers (right), together with campaigners against proposed developments on Cauldwell Road in Sutton-in-Ashfield also handing in their petition

“The businesses have been fabulous as well and they haven’t just left the petition lying on the counter, they’ve really engaged with their customers over it.

The group was set up after it was revealed in the Dispatch that the council’s new draft local plan included proposals to build nearly 5,000 new homes in Hucknall, including 3,000 on green belt land.

The proposals brought an immediate and sustained backlash from residents who already feel the town’s infrastructure, particularly medical facilities, cannot cope with numbers as they are now, let alone with another 5,000 to be added.

So far, the group has held a public meeting in the town, which packed out the John Godber Centre, and held a campaign walk on the land at Whyburn Farm over the weekend which was also well attended.

The group has run its yellow ribbon campaign with supporters wearing yellow ribbons and tying ribbons to buildings and objects around the town.