Hucknall: Developer chosen to build 'council's biggest ever investment project' at Top Wighay Farm

Nottinghamshire County Council confirmed the decision at a meeting of the economic development and asset management committee on April 19.

The massive project will see 805 new homes – 17 per cent of which will be affordable housing – built as well as a new primary school and the council’s new £15.7 million flagship offices.

Council officials say it is one of the biggest deals the authority has ever done with £20 million alone to be spent on the construction aspect of the project with another £5 million in sale contribution coming from the developers to support community infrastructure.

Coun Keith Girling (Con), chairman of the economic development and asset management committee, said: “It’s an exciting project and I know some people are nervous, people don’t like change and don’t like something new coming along, but I’ve been involved in projects before where there’s been a big upcry and then we’ve done it and people have really enjoyed what’s resulted.

"We’re making sure that the people we’re partnering with aren’t just going to chuck boxes up, they’re a good company with the same ethos as us in terms of the environment and getting the infrastructures in place that create areas people want to live in.

Matt Neal, service director of investment growth at the council, added: “There’s a set criteria that we follow as part of the evaluation process and we went through a very rigorous tender process with a number of people of the panel and Vistry Partnerships proved through a number of areas that they were the best partners to go with.

Steve Keating, development project manager, said: “We selected the preferred bidder on a number of elements, not just the financial aspect but also the social aspect, what they are bringing back to the local economy, their design and their pace of progress.

"They are looking at building the 800 houses over six years with building from Bovis Homes, Linden Homes and Vistry themselves and they’ll be putting different products up which will create a very good village environment.”

Council officers have also confirmed that plans are in place for a new skills academy, to run in partnership with Chameleon School of Construction in Pinxton.

Land has also been secured for a possible tram stop within the development, should there be sufficient demand for it.

Bus routes through the developments have also be incorporated into the plans, along with cycle lanes as part of the road infrastructure.

However, there are no plans at this stage for any new doctors or dentist surgeries to be built, nor a new secondary school, which will raise the fears of Hucknall residents who are already concerned that the current infrastructure within the town is struggling to cope.

The plans do, however, contain proposals for a community centre which could incorporate a GP surgery.

Coun Keith Girling said: "Part of the planning process is that you have to look at the provision of a primary school, so we have to build that into the plan, so when we speak to developers, they know they have to factor that cost into their plans, otherwise the cost would be on the council.

"It’s all done on a formula which is not an exact science, it’s quite an art form to be fair, but we look at the demographics of people coming in and work it out for a primary school.

"As regards the secondary school element, people move around so we don’t really know and as one year leaves, we don’t know how many will be coming in at the starting year.

"But in any case, most of the schools we’ve got in and around this area can be extended, so if we need to, we can extend, but at the moment, based on the forecasted numbers we have, we don’t have to.

"In regards to medical facilities, the issue is we can build a new medical centre but it’s getting the doctors to actually be there so we don’t make provision for that any more because there’s not much point, you just end up with an empty building.

"Medical provision comes from a separate part with the NHS and its funding but we do already have some really good surgeries in Hucknall that are expanding as well, so that’s all part of it.

"Yes, they are going to get an increase in patients but not everyone who lives here is going to get sick all the time and the idea is that not many people will actually need to go to the doctor at any one time.

“The lack of doctor’s appointments is a national problem but at the end of the day, people are living longer and they’re staying in their houses longer, so we need to build more houses, everybody knows that and that’s what we’ve got to do.”

Coun Girling also explained why the council needed new offices at the site at part of the development, emphasising that several of the council’s older existing buildings were now old and costing increasing amounts to maintain, and that the new building would bring vital services, such as children’s services, right to Hucknall people’s doorstep.

He continued: "We’re spending a lot on the council building because material costs are fluctuating and we’ve had to build in a lot of contingency but we’re hoping that ultimately it will cost a lot less than the top figure.

"We are making it more eco-friendly because that’s what people want to see and we we are leading by example.

"This new building is vital because we’re looking at putting buildings where we need the services and will be much more convenient for local people

"If you live in Hucknall, you will now have the services right on your doorstep, rather than having to go to places like Mansfield and Annesley.”

The Dispatch also raised local concerns about the roads infrastructure and again how it would cope with the increase initially with construction traffic and then increased road users once the development is built.

Coun Girling said: “We have already put two entrances on the site with traffic lights so you’re not going to have lorries queueing up to get in, they’ll just go straight on to the site and then do the work they need to do.

"They’re not all going to be coming through Linby, they’ll be coming from all over the place wherever the materials need to come from.

Mr Neal added: “We’ve also put in place infrastructure so there will be loads of cycle tracks and we’re linking those into the existing cycling network, so we’re doing loads of things to make it more sustainable for the people who are going to be living here and that will be a big part of the development.

“There is land allocated here for a potential tram link, so there could be a tram stop here.

"There is also a significant contribution to bus services as well as part of a section 106 agreement, so there will be a bus route through the site.”

Mr Keating said: “As part of the outline planning application, there were a lot of discussions with people in the outlying areas, Linby and Hucknall and an extensive transport assessment was carried out as well, and everyone was happy that the traffic measures put in place for this project."

Coun Girling added: “On a positive note, more traffic and people means more footfall for local shops.

"More people isn’t always a bad thing, in fact, it’s a very good thing for the local economy."